Ice Prince
by TheAliway
Summary: Jack Ferguson, better known by his stage name 'Jack Frost', is a talented young figure skater with a reputation as a daredevil and big dreams. But these dreams are shattered when Jack falls badly and breaks his leg. But when he meets Tooth, the volunteer nurse with dreams of becoming a dentist, he starts to learn that maybe life isn't all about the ice after all...
1. Chapter 1

"And about to begin, for those of you watching the State Finals at home, is our final performance of the night! Captured live, of course, so you never miss a moment of the action! So, the last performance, but most certainly not the least! Isn't that right, Brenda?"  
"That most certainly is right, Bobby, our last competitor tonight is the very promising Jack Ferguson, better known to you as Jack Frost! This must have been our most anticipated performance tonight, and in a moment you're about to see why!"  
"Isn't he the youngest competitor in his class tonight, Brenda?"  
"At the tender age of seventeen he most certainly is, Bobby, but Jack Frost proves quite spectacularly that age isn't everything when it comes to athletics! For those of you who might be new to figure skating and not in the know about this young prodigy, Jack Ferguson is an up-and-coming professional skater who's taken out the top title for the past three years. In fact, the word on the street is that Jack will be competing in Olympics tryouts later this year, and I know I'm excited to see him in the red, white and blue for the Winter Olympics!"  
"And it's easy to see why he's taken the trophy for the past three years – look, there he goes!"  
"Oh, isn't he marvellous to watch?"  
"Wearing the trademark blue, of course – true to form, his costume tonight appears distinctly winter-themed. He's completely bleached his hair, too, very mythic-looking."  
"Oh yes, this one might be my favourite yet. Fantastic puffy-sleeved white shirt, with a navy vest – is that silver trim on the vest? Yes it is, silver-trimmed vest, blue pants with what appears to be more silver trim, a.. is that silver? A silver cummerbund? Interesting detail there, the metallic fabric is quite dazzling. And – oh, I like the touch with the long blue scarf! I always love Jack Frost's costumes, they're so different from what you usually see in men's figure skating, it's refreshing."  
"A bit risky with the scarf though! Are they even allowed? I'd be afraid of getting tangled up in that thing."

"Yes, the scarf is a bit risky, but Jack has always been one to push the limits! Oh gosh, did you see that leap? Watching him can be a bit frightening, he's always taking these incredible jumps."  
"Yes, he's known for being quite the daredevil. He pulls it off though – and it gets him the trophies, in the end!"

"I wouldn't like to be his mother watching this."  
"Neither would I, Brenda – I wonder how they're faring! They must be pretty nervous! You can see the coach waiting by the gate, what's his name?"  
"Edmund, the Australian coach! Apparently he's known for being pretty tough, just look at the tattoos. You almost wouldn't believe he once skated for Australia, he was quite the leaper too – nicknamed 'The Bunny', he was, for his trademark jumps. Apparently he was pretty tough-looking then too, but retirement from the sport seems to have only intensified it. He certainly looks menacing there!"  
"Yes, no doubt hoping Jack doesn't slip up! Oh wow, he's about to take a really risky jump here, do you think he'll make it? Look at the speed he's going – up he goes – and oh dear, that looked a bit – shit!"  
"Christ, Bobby, did you see that?!"  
"Oh Christ, that was a bad fall."  
"Oh Bobby! It looks like he hit his head!"  
"His leg too – they'll be blurring it out on your t.v's, folks, but.. he's broken his leg, shit. You might have heard the crack. That looks like a clean break, that's bad."  
"Oh my god, he's bleeding."  
"Where the hell are the medics?"  
"There's the coach – oh god, he looks upset."  
"There's the medics, with the stretchers – there's the family too, oh god, the poor parents..."  
"What the hell happened there?"  
"God, I think it might have been the scarf. It was flapping about his face when he jumped, it might have distracted him."  
"Shit, now that's why you don't wear loose items of clothing in sports, no matter how good it looks. There goes the title, poor Jack-"

Fzzzttt.

Jack jammed the pause button fiercely, frowning at the screen. The frozen image seemed foreign to him; he just didn't remember much of the performance.  
He certainly didn't remember anything involving the tiny limp figure on the screen, the wiry creature with snowy hair, white skin tinged blue from make-up and shock. He didn't remember the crowd of people surrounding the figure – the medics and doctors motionless in their task of strapping the boy's sickeningly crooked leg.

Jack glanced down at the leg. It was wrapped in a white shell that extended from his thigh to his toes, even encasing the better part of his foot. His toes stuck out pathetically. Apparently the break had been that bad that he'd needed nearly the whole leg put in a cast.  
He'd broken the tibia cleanly, and suffered minor fractures to the ribs. There was apparently a hairline fracture on his skull too. He'd hit the ice very hard.  
_Concussion, minor contusions to the brain, hairline fracture on the skull, two minor fractures to the ribs, and a clean break to the tibia,_ Jack recited in his head. Shit. He was never wearing a scarf on the ice again.

Today was the first day he'd felt lucid enough to get up and watch the video of the accident. His sister had been taping it at home, apparently wanting to capture the moment he won his fourth title. Ironically, it had instead become the documentation of his worst skating injury yet. The doctors had found it very useful in working out how he'd managed to injure himself so spectacularly badly.

The two days before, he'd been unable to move. He'd spent the hours slipping in and out of sleep, staring dumbly at nurses as they checked his drip, shoved needles in his arms, pumped out blood, pumped in drugs.

His first memory after the accident was of waking up and having a pounding, constant ache in his head. His whole body hurt – his muscles ached, his chest hurt and it felt painful to breathe, and for some reason his right leg ached horribly. His head was the worst though - the pain was a severe, slow, throbbing ache.  
He felt the side of his face was wet, and realised he'd been drooling. He tried to close his mouth and swallow, but was horrified that he couldn't. He tried to move his arms and legs, but it was as if he was swimming in molasses – he couldn't move a thing. He pathetically slapped his arm over his hip before giving up.  
He'd felt so panicked – he thought he was paralysed. He couldn't remember anything of the performance at that stage; his last memory was of warming up the afternoon before the competition at the old rink in town. He'd looked around the hospital ward, staring wildly as far around as his eyes could see, since he couldn't move his head, trying to work out why he was in hospital and unable to move.

He saw a figure move in front of his vision – a green-blue knitted sweater over denim jeans. A small, light touch on his shoulder.  
"Jack Ferguson, are you awake?"  
He'd tried to talk – _I'm awake but I can't move. _All that left his lips was a string of garbled mumbling.  
A delicate laugh. "Sorry," the voice said. "Don't worry, it's not permanent. Otherwise I wouldn't be laughing."  
The figure shifted, and suddenly Jack was staring into a face.

The face was small and heart-shaped, with a pointed chin and wide, large bright eyes. Her skin was a warm caramel hue, and her eyes were an interesting violet colour. They were made up in shimmery pink that glowed against the warm colour of her skin. Her eyelashes were very long. Stray strands of dyed turquoise, blue, violet and yellow hair floated about her temples. She smiled at him with small pink lips and perfect, bright white teeth.  
Jack couldn't help but feel embarrassed. _Great. The one time I meet a cute girl and it's while I'm paralysed and drooling on my own face._

"Hi, Jack," the girl said. "I'm Tooth. I know it's a funny name – my real name is Uma, but I've been called Tooth since I was nine, and even my grandmother calls me that now, so you can call me Tooth too. It's nice to meet you."  
Her face took on a more serious tone, her teeth disappearing. "Do you remember anything about what happened?"  
Jack managed to shake his head.  
"Alright," the girl said. "You were in a competition, remember that? You were in the State finals."  
Jack nodded. He remembered that.

"Do you remember actually competing? Your performance?"  
He shook his head again.  
"You had an accident during your performance," Tooth explained. "You were kept under sedation the night of the accident, and you were taken off the next day, but you slept right through til today. So you're been out of it a whole day. Anyway, the accident. You attempted a risky leap, and it went wrong. You landed badly and hurt yourself. You hit your head pretty hard and got a hairline fracture, so I'm not surprised you don't remember. Don't be alarmed though, a hairline fracture sounds scary but it's relatively minor. No permanent brain damage, you're fine there. You probably have a headache, and you can't move – that's because you got pretty concussed. You have a few contusions – they're like bruises, but on the brain. Nothing permanent, once the bruising goes down you'll regain normal mobility, that'll take a couple days at most. You also fractured a couple ribs – again nothing major, they'll heal up fine. And, um. You broke your leg. Badly."  
Jack frowned. _How badly?_  
"You snapped your right tibia," Tooth continued. "A clean break right through the bone. The good news is that clean breaks are easy to set and heal, since there isn't so much tissue damage. It's a simple matter of immobilising the leg until it heals. The bad news is, it'll still take a long time to set. You'll have to have the cast on for at least three weeks, and after that you'll be out of action for another four months. Even then, you'll still have to be careful for another few months."  
_Four months._

Christ.  
He was definitely going to miss the Olympics.

After that, Tooth had left. He didn't see her again – from then on, he was attended by the regular nurses in uniforms. A day or so later, once he could talk, he'd asked about her – apparently she was a volunteer who came by every few days to give out food and chat to the patients.  
He'd remained almost motionless the whole day, drifting in and out of sleep. His parents had visited; Jack wouldn't forget the look of shock in his mother's eyes when they'd seen him drooling on the bed like a paralytic.

"You look well, kid," his dad had said, but the sentiment was half-hearted. Jack raised an eyebrow. His dad laughed. "Alright, well, you haven't lost your sense of humour," he said. "Fine, I'll be honest. You look awful. I'm glad we didn't bring Emma, now."  
"She wanted to see you so badly," his mother had said. His father pulled two chairs over, and they sat down next to Jack. "She wanted to make sure you were okay. But the doctor called, he said you weren't going to look good, so we made her stay at home. You wouldn't believe the tantrum she chucked over that."  
Jack managed a smile. He could imagine his little sister. She was every bit as stubborn as he was, and deeply attached to her older brother. A warm feeling of affection glowed in his stomach.  
"To be honest, you're not as bad as we were afraid you might be," his dad said. "I was expecting full-on vegetable. But you're actually pretty lucid."  
"I didn't expect you to look so pale," his mom admitted. "Then again, I'm still not used to your hair."  
His parents hadn't been happy about the hair. It was Edmund's idea – the white hair would be a great trademark for his Jack Frost persona. And it had looked awesome with the costume. He looked a bit funny outside of the rink in normal clothes, but his bleached white hair had been received well by the media. Emma had loved it. Jack preferred it to his natural brown hair.

"I'll be glad when you're talking again," his dad said. "It's a bit weird talking to you without you retorting back with clever commentary every five seconds."  
"The doctor said you should be speaking tomorrow," his mom said. "Apparently that's quite good for contusions. It sounds like they weren't too serious."  
"Have you had to use a bed-pan yet?" his dad asked. Jack groaned, and his mother giggled and swatted her husband's arm. "Honey! What kind of a question is that?!"  
"It's a fair question, I'm just curious!"  
Jack smirked and shook his head. There was no way in hell that he'd be made to use a bedpan – he'd drag himself, paralytic and all, to the bathroom himself, if it meant not using a bedpan. He was very sure of that.

Before long, his parents were preparing to leave. "We'd better get back to Em and put on dinner," his mom said apologetically, kissing his cheek and hugging him tightly. "We'll be back tomorrow to see you, we promise."

"Emma should have calmed down by now," his dad said, smoothing his unruly hair in an uncommon affectionate gesture. He half-smiled. "You take care, alright? No antics while we're gone. Behave around the nurses and all that."  
Jack smiled at the joke, and nodded. His parents reluctantly walked to the door. "Goodnight, hon!" his mother said. "Sleep well, we love you!"

The night was a strange, surreal blur. He'd sleep deeply, only to be disturbed by the night-shift nurse – a large woman with kind eyes but a no-nonsense attitude – who apologetically said that she had to check him every hour. She would check his drip, shine a torch in his eyes to see how his pupils dilated, hold his hands up, ask him to try to hold them up, let go and watch them fall pathetically to his lap. No matter how he tried, he couldn't hold them up. He wasn't sure if it was the contusions or the sleepiness.

Then she'd leave, and he'd drift off.  
Then she'd return, and he'd be roused for more tests.  
At one stage, he'd woken up absolutely bursting to go to the bathroom. He'd held on stubbornly all day and night, unwilling to use a bedpan, but now he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.  
He attempted to speak – this time it was easier.  
"Bathroom," he mumbled as the nurse stood to leave. "I need... bathroom."  
"I'll bring back a bedpan," the woman said.  
"No, nononono!" Jack said frantically. The woman stared at him. "Bathroom!" Jack repeated insistently.  
The nurse sighed. "You want me to take you to the bathroom because you don't want to use the bedpan, is that right?"  
Jack nodded, staring earnestly at her. The nurse shook her head. "Kids," she muttered defeatedly. "Alright, I'll take you to the bathroom."  
The bathroom was an ensuite in the ward – the door was just beyond the bed. For Jack, it might as well have been a five-mile trek.

The nurse helped him sit up, and gingerly helped him out of bed. As the sheets slipped away, Jack saw the heavy white cast completely surrounding his leg for the first time, the leg of his track pants folded up at the top. It thunked to the floor. Jack felt a slight twinge, but the force of the impact was absorbed by the plaster. His other leg shook with the effort of staying upright. He clung tightly to the nurse's neck.  
"We're gonna take it one step at a time, okay?" the nurse said. "Well.. hop. You can't put any weight on that leg. We'll take it nice and slow. Can you take a hop for me, Jack?"  
Jack managed an awkward hop. He didn't get far; he overbalanced, falling into the nurse, who grunted under the weight of the teenager.  
"Okay, very good," the nurse said. "One more, okay?"  
Another hop. This one was a bit more successful; he got a bit further. He still couldn't balance well enough though, and again the nurse had to hold up his entire weight.  
This process stretched out painfully, and even when they reached the door the nurse still had to help him to the toilet. Finally, he was gripping the bars on the wall next to the toilet, leaning against the wall – without the nurse, he felt he would just fall over.  
"I'll leave, and you give me a yell when you're done," the nurse said. "Okay?"  
Jack nodded, and the nurse left, closing the door.  
He was in no shape to try to aim standing up. He swallowed his pride and levered himself down onto the seat.

When he was done, he pulled himself up, flushed, and called out, "Done!"  
The nurse came back in, and the long hike back to the bed commenced. It was as tedious as the previous walk. Jack was beginning to get painfully frustrated with his inability to move in the way he was used to.  
Finally, the nurse was lifting him back into bed. She looked thoroughly worn out from the ordeal.  
"I think I'll leave you alone for a couple of hours," she said. "You're doing really well for someone two days into a hairline fracture, so I think I can let you sleep."  
Jack nodded, and with a sigh, the nurse left. He drifted off again.

The next day, his head still felt achey and fuzzy and he was tired from having had little sleep the night before. He was speaking better, though. That was the day the doctor visited.

The doctor was a quiet, middle-aged man with bright eyes and a friendly smile. He entered the room softly, careful not to let the door slam behind him. He walked up to the bedside, pulled over a chair and sat down.  
"Hi, Jack," the doctor said. "I'm Dr. Luna, you can call me Manny. How are you feeling?"  
"I've had better," Jack said, and Manny chuckled. "I'm sure you have," he said. "Has someone told you about the accident already?"  
Jack nodded.  
"Oh, good. So you know the details? About the contusions and rib fractures?"  
Jack nodded again.  
"Excellent. Obviously, the contusions aren't too serious and are already clearing up. You'll be back to normal by tomorrow, I should think. That skull fracture will heal fine, but you'll have to be careful for the next twelve months until it's fully healed. No vigorous exercise for at least six months, I'm afraid. And of course the broken leg will set you back too – you'll have the cast on for another three weeks, and under normal circumstances you'd have to avoid heavy exercise for four months. However, taking your skull injury into consideration, we have to extend that to six months."  
He looked genuinely sad. "I'm really sorry, Jack. I was looking forward to seeing you in the Olympics this year."  
Jack chewed his lip and blinked hard, swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat. So there really was no way he could make the Olympics. A sick, empty disappointment settled in his chest. He would not cry.

Manny coughed. "Not to mention the rib fractures. Those will be fine too; just take it easy for the next couple of months and they'll heal up."  
He sat back and sighed. "So it's a long road to recovery for you, I'm afraid," Manny said. "How are you handling everything?"  
Jack chewed his lip. "I want to be back on the ice," he said. "As soon as possible."  
Manny looked solemn. "That's not going to happen for months, Jack," he said gently. "Even then, you can't be doing anything more than skating in circles. No flying leaps for you for at least twelve months."  
No more skating for twelve months. Shit, would he even make the next Olympics?  
"Well, then I want to be in the best shape possible to bounce back and get back into gear when I do get back on the ice," Jack said. "I need to... stay in shape somehow. So I don't waste time building up my skills all over again. Can I do that?"  
"We can try to do that," Manny said. "We can put you on a strict diet, so you don't gain too much weight. Plenty of protein, to maintain your muscles, but no carbs – with you sedentary like this, the carbs will just convert to fat. And we can organise a rehab program for you. You won't be able to go into rehab until the cast comes off, but we'll set up a program that'll work you harder than most patients, so you can get back into shape. We'll work with your trainer on organising everything. We could also assist in setting up a training routine once you do get back on the ice – we'll have to monitor when you start training anyway, to make sure you don't do anything too strenuous."  
Jack smiled. "Eddy's gonna hate you," he said, eliciting a wry grin from Manny.  
"I actually met Edmund yesterday," he said. "Funny guy. He's quite worried about you, actually. He wants to see you as soon as you're fully lucid."  
"I'm lucid now," Jack said.  
"We'll see," Manny said, picking up a torch.

The tests were repeated. This time, Jack had a little more control over his hands, so they slowly sank to the sheets, rather than flopping pathetically.

"You've improved really well over the past few hours," Manny said, "but you're still not 100% yet. I'll give you another couple of days before I'll let you talk to Eddy. Now, I'll leave you to get some rest, but I'll be back tomorrow to see how you're doing."  
He stood up to leave, but then paused. He turned and pulled a DVD case out of his pocket.  
"This is a recording of the competition," he said. "Apparently they were filming live. Your sister was taping your performance, by the sounds of it, and she taped the whole accident. The footage isn't too graphic, obviously, since it's been edited for t.v, but it's still a bit shocking. I'll leave it here if you feel up to watching it later, but I warn you, it might be upsetting."  
He set it down on the bedside table. "Call one of the nurses in if you decide to watch it, they'll set up the television for you," he said. "But don't watch it now; I want you to get some rest."  
He smiled and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow, Jack," he said, and left.

The rest of the day was another blur of slipping in and out of sleep. The night was much the same as the previous one; although this time Jack was able to drag himself to the bathroom on his own, without the nurse.

Which brought Jack back to the third day in hospital. He'd felt much better – his head was clear, and he could move properly. He still struggled to hop to the bathroom, but he wasn't sure if that was the contusions or the cast. Either way, he'd felt good enough that he'd decided he could watch the footage of the accident.

Bad idea.

He felt sick, now. He still couldn't recall the accident, but he was beginning to remember the competition more clearly. He'd been so confident... he'd stopped getting nervous a long time ago, and he just remembered anticipating the rush of adrenaline as he flew over the ice. While other competitors worried and fretted over their moves, he was simply anxious to get on the ice and fly. It was an indescribable feeling, and he always loved it.  
So what had gone wrong?  
He muted the television – if he heard bloody Brenda's voice cooing over his costume one more time he'd chuck the remote – and rewound the DVD back to the moment before the jump. Then he hit play.

The lead-up had been perfect. He'd hit just the right speed, and there – up he went. Jack's eyebrows knitted together as he stared at the footage.  
_There_. He'd performed a double twist, and the action had sent one end of the scarf slapping into his face. That was where it had gone wrong – the scarf had distracted him, and he'd lost focus.  
He watched the figure – was he really so lanky? – crash into the ground. First he'd landed awkwardly on his right leg. Jack winced at the sight of the leg suddenly giving way, the unnatural angle. He heard the crack loudly in his head – too clear, clearer than the way the t.v had made it sound. So he remembered something, then. Then the momentum had slammed his body onto the ice. _Crack, thump, thump_. Leg, ribs, head. It all slammed into the ice and went completely limp.  
Then the chaos erupted, and Jack paused the footage again.

He flopped back into the pillows and sighed. But they'd practiced with the scarf so often! The scarf had been his idea, and Eddy had been initially adamant that Jack wasn't to wear it. The risk of it getting in the way just wasn't worth it, Eddy had said. But Jack had insisted that he could wear the scarf – he was good enough, he could pull it off.  
He'd practiced and practiced and practiced. He'd taken the scarf to every session leading up to the finals. He must have performed that routine fifty times with the scarf – it wasn't as if he was attempting something new that night.  
Yet, that had been the one night that something had gone wrong. That had been the one night that the scarf had spontaneously flown up in his face. It frustrated Jack immensely that the one time it had gone wrong was the one time it had really mattered. And oh, how badly it had gone wrong. He couldn't have just fallen on his butt, he couldn't have missed the title but walked out on his own feet, no, he had to fail spectacularly badly and break his leg.

_And now I can't even try out for the Olympics,_ Jack thought bitterly. _I'll be lucky if I can make the next Olympic tryouts, even._

The door opened. Jack turned, and his mouth fell open – it was Tooth.

She was carrying a big tray with a cover on it, and wore her blue sweater and her big smile. From the bed, Jack could see that her turquoise hair was short, swept back and spiked up. It should have looked punk, but on the beaming girl it just looked sweet and quirky. Gold bangles dangled off her tiny wrists, and she was wearing big gold earrings.  
She danced over to the bed. "Hi, Jack," she said. "How are you feeling? You look loads better!"  
"I feel loads better," Jack said.

Tooth beamed. "It's good to hear your voice this time," she said. "So your speech is back to normal?"  
"Pretty much," Jack said. "The doc said I'm not 100% yet, but I feel pretty much back to my old self."  
"That's really good," Tooth said. "Your contusions are obviously healing pretty quickly."

She pulled out the fold-up table attached to the bedside and swung it over Jack's lap. "I brought some lunch for you today," she said. "Manny said you were on a diet, but you obviously haven't tried my mom's chicken curry. Minimal carbs, plenty of protein." She giggled. "Well, except for the rice, of course."  
She lifted the lid on the tray, and Jack was hit by an incredible scent of spices. His mouth watered.  
"I guess I can risk the rice," Jack said, picking up a fork. "This looks incredible, Tooth."  
"Grandma's recipe," Tooth said with a wink. "Just like in India. Well, without all the oil. And the spiciness. Gosh, the original recipe is insanely hot, you take one bite and you're sprinting to the water jug! I guess this is the healthier, edible version, heh."  
Jack started eating. Despite what Tooth said, the curry still burned his tongue and made his mouth numb. He coughed and gulped some water, not used to the sensation.  
Despite the spiciness, however, the curry was delicious. Jack wolfed it down, suddenly ravenous – when was the last time he'd even eaten? He couldn't remember. Even if he'd eaten recently, though, he was sure he'd have gobbled the curry down anyway, it was fantastic.

"My compliments to the chef," Jack declared when he'd finished, and Tooth giggled. "I'm glad to see you liked it!" she said. "Many people find it too hot."  
"They're missing out," Jack said. "So you're from India?"  
"My mom is," Tooth said. "My dad's from Thailand. They're both as American as they come, though – they were both raised in the U.S."

She cocked her head. "What about you?" she asked. "You look pretty northern-European."  
Jack shrugged. "I think we come from the Netherlands," he said. "So yeah, north-western Europe. Hence the name, 'Ferguson'. And uh, the paleness."  
Tooth chuckled. "That makes sense."  
"Where exactly did 'Tooth' come from?" Jack asked. "Sorry if that seemed out of the blue, it just.. I've been wondering about that."  
"I want to be a dentist," Tooth said simply. "I've wanted to be one ever since I was little. I always used to pretend to be one, I'd inspect my friends' teeth in recess and stuff."  
"Seriously?" Jack asked.

Tooth laughed and nodded. "Yeah! And I was always asking about teeth, and as soon as I found any cool information about teeth, I'd be spouting it for days." She shook her head. "It didn't take long for my friends to nickname me 'Tooth'. I liked it, so I made my parents call me 'Tooth' as well. I guess it must have suited me, because everyone's called me 'Tooth' ever since, and I wouldn't want to be called anything else."  
She shrugged. "Nothing major," she said with a grin. "I just really like teeth!"  
"Well now I know who to call if I need a dentist," Jack said, and she chuckled.  
She glanced up at the television, and her smile disappeared. "Oh, you shouldn't be watching that," she sighed. "That's just depressing. I didn't even like watching it."  
"You saw it?" Jack asked.  
"Yeah, I was watching it the night it happened," Tooth said. "My mom is a huge fan of yours, so of course we had it on the t.v. We all sat down to watch your performance... we were all really upset."  
She shook her head. "I don't think that other guy, that Pitch guy, should have won. He wasn't nearly as good as you, even with the accident cutting yours short."

Jack remembered Pitch. He'd been an asshole. He was cold and unsociable, which wasn't uncommon in a competitive atmosphere, but Pitch wasn't just guarded or quiet – he was cruel. He was a bully. Jack remembered him trying to freak out a couple of nervous contestants, making them scared so they'd either quit or do badly on the ice. He was good at scaring off the competition.  
Jack shrugged. "Well, there's nothing we do about it now," he said gruffly, turning the t.v off. "I've just got to focus on getting better. So I can get back on that ice again, and show Pitch who's the real champ."  
Tooth nodded. "Of course," she said. She smiled again. "And you will," she added. "You'll be flying again in no time."  
"I hope so," Jack said. "Manny didn't sound too positive about it. Apparently I won't be back in full form for at least twelve months."  
"Doctors will tell you that," Tooth said. "But you know, that's because they don't want to get your hopes up. It might take you ten months, but they say twelve months in case the recovery doesn't go as well as they want it to. And if you're really good, and you follow their orders to the letter and you're really self-disciplined about your exercises and rehab, it might take even less time. So don't get too disheartened, okay?" She smiled.  
Jack smiled back. Ten months wasn't much shorter than twelve, but he felt a little better. Tooth radiated positivity, and it seemed to be contagious.

"Anyway, I better go and feed the other patients," Tooth said with a wry giggle. "Can't let them go hungry!"  
She picked up the tray and plonked the cover back on it, heading for the door. "I'll see you in a couple days, okay?" she said. She smiled as she opened the door. "It's good to see you, Jack."  
"I'll see you around," Jack said, returning the smile. "It's good to see you too."  
And then she was gone. Jack lay back on the bed again.  
_Well, I guess there is one tiny silver lining to this giant stormcloud, _he mused.

_I actually finally seem to have made a friend._


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning –**  
**There's a fair bit of swearing in this chapter. Let's put it this way, my version of Bunnymund is _very_ Australian indeed :P**  
**Also I based "Eddy's" appearance on Hugh Jackman. Because Hugh voiced Bunnymund, and 'cause I just love Hugh Jackman :D  
In fact, if you want to know what kind of skater Eddy would have been, google Alexei Yagudin. He's a pretty incredible figure skater!  
Also, sorry this update has taken a few days... I'm writing longer chapters now, so I won't be updating as regularly. Also, these few days have been super hectic - I'm moving into college, welp - and it'll continue to be hectic for maybe another week. Seriously though, writing this is what's keeping me sane xD  
Thank you for all the follows and reviews! And after just one chapter, gosh 8D thank you so much!**

* * *

The next day, Jack was woken by the door slamming against the wall as it was thrown open. Footsteps thumped over to his bedside, and Jack jerked awake bewilderedly.  
He rolled over and blinked up at the tanned, Wolverine-esque, livid face scowling down at him. Ashy stone-grey hair stuck out at every angle, and Jack swore he saw the man's sizeable ears twitch in fury.  
"I'll wear the scarf, he says!" Eddy growled. "What can go wrong, he says! I won't have an accident and break my fuckin' arse on the day of the competition, he says!"  
"I wasn't actually _that_ specific," Jack mumbled sheepishly. "Morning to you too, coach, lovely to see you too, coach, so nice to see you're so concerned about my condition and all, coach."  
"Don't get smart with me, kid, that's my job," Eddy spat furiously. "I have no bloody sympathy for you, so don't expect any from me! It's your own bloody fault you're in here, so sorry if I'm not holding your hand, spoon-feeding you ice cream or some shit. What the devil did you expect, Jack?!"  
Jack couldn't help but smirk. He was used to Eddy's gruff demeanour, and he'd spent enough time with the rugged Aussie to know that he was a softie at heart. Eddy had two kids and both regularly came to Jack's training sessions to watch, and Jack had seen the way Eddy had interacted with his son and daughter. He was besotted with them, and in breaks he'd get them on the ice and teach them little tricks. So Jack was well aware that Eddy's ranting and raving and yelling was really just his own way of expressing his concern.  
Jack stared into the big man's lined face. His heavy eyebrows were knitted together, and his mouth was set in a hard line. But Jack didn't miss the bags under Eddy's bloodshot, shiny eyes, the red marks on his lips where he'd been chewing them, the way he gripped his hands tightly.

"I'll be okay, Ed," Jack said. "Apparently I'm doing really well. Did the doctor talk to you?"  
Eddy nodded stiffly. "Yeah, he did," he said. He pulled over a chair and sat down heavily. "Said you'd be out of action for at least twelve months." He looked down. "I'm so sorry about the Olympics, mate."  
Jack clenched his fist under the sheets. He would not be upset.

"Next time," he said. "I'll make it next time. How's Sophie and Jamie?"  
"Distraught," Eddy said, looking up and flashing a grin. Eddy had the biggest teeth Jack had ever seen, so his smiles often appeared more fierce than friendly. "Sophie took it upon herself to bake an insane amount of cupcakes for you. Dunno how I'm gonna deal with that, what with your diet – I'm afraid I'll have to eat them all myself!"  
Jack chuckled. Sophie was only little, but she was already taking a keen interest in cooking. Her cooking ventures rarely ended in success, however.  
"And Jamie? How's he?"  
Eddy twisted his mouth. "He's real torn up, mate," he said. "You have no idea how excited he was to see you in the Olympics."  
That didn't surprise Jack, as much as it hurt to hear it. Jamie had been his favourite out of the two kids, and he knew the boy looked up to him. When Jack took breaks in training, he'd often look up to spy Jamie attempting to copy his jumps on the ice, and Jamie never took his eyes off Jack when he practiced his drills or routines. Jack enjoyed playing with Jamie and watching the little boy's eyes light up.  
Before his fateful performance, Jamie had actually insisted on seeing Jack before he went on.  
"I wanted to wish you luck, though I know you don't need it," Jack had said brightly. Eddy's kids both had developed American accents despite their dad's heritage. _"You're gonna rule out there! They're gonna have to let you go to the Olympics when they see you tonight. And I know 'cause I've seen it a hundred times but I still love seeing it. So.. good luck, okay, Jack?"_  
Jack had laughed and thanked the little boy before sending him back to the stands to watch. It was unfortunate that Jamie's sentiment hadn't been able to help Jack that night.

"He really wanted to see you, but I wasn't sure how you were gonna be – I didn't want to take him til I'd seen you myself, I was afraid he'd get upset if you looked really sick. But you're not looking bad, are you? You've yet to get any colour back in your cheeks, but you look pretty lucid."  
"I'm way better than before," Jack said. "When I woke up, I couldn't move."  
Eddy gave a low whistle. "You got lucky with that head injury. Contusions can be pretty serious. You're lucky yours were pretty mild bruises."  
"I don't feel lucky."  
"Nah, mate, 'course you don't. C'mon, you broke your fucking leg."  
Eddy sighed. "I've already talked to the doctor about your meals and stuff. They set me up with a bloody dietician and everything, so we've worked out the best diet to keep your muscle mass in good nick without you putting on too much weight. And we'll start rehab fairly soon, in a week or so."  
"Don't I have to get the cast taken off? I thought that would take three weeks or something."  
"You can still do some basic things with the cast on. Nothing to do with your leg, just stuff to work the rest of your body. Also, we've been talking about exercise and training programs for when you're able to get back on the ice. He's pretty bloody adamant that you don't push yourself too hard in case of setting back your healing progress."  
"That makes sense. Six months, though."  
"That's just how long it's gonna have to take, mate. I can chat to Manny, we might be able to cut that down to four, but to be honest I agree with him. If it was just the leg, I'd push for a shorter time, but it's your head as well. He's probably worried about you falling on the ice. Even if you don't hit your head, the momentum would still rattle your brain a bit, which isn't good if the fracture's still healing. And trust me, you'll fall – you'll be rusty after just one month, let alone four or six. I think Manny just wants you to be as healed as much as possible so you don't re-injure yourself."  
Jack sighed. "I know, I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it."  
"No, you don't have to like it. But you have to do it. And by god, are you gonna do it – we want you back up and skating as soon as possible, so I'm going to make sure you follow every instruction, every exercise, every damn diet plan to the letter."  
Eddy looked fiercely determined – he was in coaching mode. "I'm your trainer when you're skating, so I'm gonna train you in getting better, too. Alright?"  
Jack smiled. "Alright, Bunny."  
Eddy snorted at the old nickname. Jack liked to use it to tease him about his skating days. "Whatever. Has your family visited?"  
"Yeah, they've visited every day since I woke up. They haven't brought Emma yet."  
"Why the hell not?"  
"They're afraid of upsetting her, duh. Mom still thinks I look too pale, she wants to wait until I look better. Same reason you haven't brought Jamie yet."  
"Fair enough. You look better than the last I saw you, though. Christ, you were a wreck."  
"When was that?"  
"When you broke your fucking arse, duh. I had to go with you in the ambulance. You looked awful."  
"That's not exactly a surprise."  
"Well, still. I'm glad you're looking better, mate."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, Eddy."

Eddy shrugged. "I'm your trainer, kid. It's my job to take care of you." He stood up with a sigh. "Well, I better get going. I've got to meet this dietician they've set up for you." He shook his head. "He sounds like a bloody ponce if you ask me. You take care, alright?"  
"Sure thing," Jack said. "You'll be back soon, right?"  
"Yeah, sure. I'll bring Jamie next time. He'll be really chuffed to see you."  
Jack smiled. "Great, then I have something to look forward to. Tell Sophie not to go too overboard."  
Eddy chuckled. "I can try, but she's got a mind of her own, mate! You take care, kid."  
"See ya 'round, Bunny."  
"Right back atcha, Frosty."  
With a quick wave of his huge hand, Eddy ducked out of the ward. Jack sighed and slumped back against the pillows. He felt better, somehow – Eddy had a strange ability to life his spirits no matter how bad he felt. It could have been a training thing – being able to motivate people when they felt physically exhausted was a handy skill for any trainer, or it could have been the fact that Eddy had become a real friend to Jack over the years.

Jack still remembered meeting the huge Australian. He must have been ten. He'd already been skating for a few years – he'd shown a fierce love for it when he was quite young, and his parents had been quick to encourage him and sign him up for lessons. When he'd shown unique potential, however, outshining every other student in his after-school skating class, his parents had made the decision to hire a personal trainer to help Jack hone his ability.  
Meeting Edmund Aster had been a complete coincidence. His parents had all but given up on looking for a trainer, unable to find anyone who had the credentials and ability to train a young boy to skate professionally without charging exorbitant fees. After a long day of meeting potential trainers and having to turn down every single one of them, they'd taken the bored Jack to the local ice rink for a quick skate. As they watched their boy soar over the ice, they'd despaired.  
That was when they were approached by the massive, grey-haired, gruff-looking man with the heavy brow and grim stare. He'd tapped Mr. Ferguson on the shoulder and asked, "That your kid on the ice?"  
Bewildered, Jack's parents had nodded. The grim man with the Australian accent smiled. "He's got a bloody good form there," he'd said. "Talented kid. Does he have a trainer?"  
Jack's parents had shook their heads.  
"Well," the man said, "I think I could train him. Talent like that shouldn't go wasted."  
Jack's parents were astonished. They asked the man who he was. Was he a professional personal trainer? What were his credentials?  
The man grinned, baring every one of his huge tombstone teeth. "The name's Edmund Aster," he'd declared. "Ex-professional figure skater. You may remember me from the 1988 Winter Olympics. I skated for Australia. No medals, sadly, but they nicknamed me 'The Bunny' for my jumps."  
The couple had been stunned. And indeed, with that revelation, they could recognise something of the fierce competitor under the lines and stubble of the man's face.  
"We'd love to employ you," Jack's father had said, "but we've been looking at trainers all day, and honestly... I don't think we can afford it. We couldn't afford any of them, let alone an ex-Olympian!"  
"I won't exactly charge an arm and a leg," Eddy had said. "I don't want to do it for the money, I don't need it. I want to do it because your kid is bloody talented, and I don't want to see it wasted. Or worse, worked in the wrong way. But I think I could help your son get the most out of his talent. That's why I want to do it. Hell, if you can't afford it, don't pay me anything – just let me work with your son."

Jack's parents glanced at each other. This was almost too good to be true – an ex-Olympian approaching them and offering to train their son for free! How could they let that opportunity slip?  
"We'll hire you," Jack's father said. "We'll talk about fees later."  
But then Eddy had shaken his head. "Does your kid even want to be a figure skater?" he'd asked.  
Jack's parents stalled. They hadn't even thought about that. Did Jack want to be a skater? They'd never asked; they'd simply assumed he'd want to, considering he was on the ice every free moment.  
"We really don't know," Jack's mom admitted. "We just thought... I mean, he enjoys it so much..."  
Eddy smiled. "Well, then, I'd better ask," he said.  
The huge man pulled on a pair of skates, then stepped out onto the ice. Echoing the grace of his former prowess, he easily glided up to the pace of the small boy and skated alongside him.

His parents didn't hear the conversation, but Jack vividly remembered the incident.

He hadn't noticed the big man at first. He'd been too engrossed in looking just ahead of his feet, staring intently in his effort to keep his balance.  
The gruff voice had scared him. "You don't need to hunch forward like that, kid. Stand up straight, it'll put less strain on your back."  
Jack had nearly fallen over in surprise as he turned to stare at the man. His jaw dropped at the sight of Eddy.  
Eddy smiled. "You like skating, don't you, Jack?"  
"Who are you?" Jack had demanded. Even as a young child terrified of the sight of the giant, he'd refused to show fear.

"Fair question," Eddy said. "I used to be a figure skater. You know what that is, right?"  
Jack had stared at him confusedly. The only figure skaters Jack could think of were women – lithe, waiflike girls aglow with glitter and tulle. He struggled to reconcile this image with the hulking, distinctly un-glittery giant beside him.  
"I thought all figure-skaters were girls," Jack said, and Eddy laughed.  
"Lots of them are, yeah. But not all of them. Men can be figure skaters too."  
"How?"  
"By doing what you're doing now. Skating."  
"But don't you have to look all pretty?"  
"Not really. It's good to look nice, with your hair brushed and all. But it's mainly about the skating."  
"Show me."  
Eddy nodded. "Stop here and just watch, kid," he'd said.  
It was an old routine, but a goodie – importantly, it was also one that Eddy could still perform. His knees could no longer bear the multiple leaps and jumps he'd been famous for, but he was still able to throw in a nice twisting jump in his performance.  
When he was done, he turned to see the child staring agape. His eyes were wide with amazement.  
"That was awesome!" he'd exclaimed. "It looked so cool! How did you do that?!" Eddy detected a stray hint of envy in the young boy's eyes. The kid desperately wanted to recreate those jumps.

"By lots of training," Eddy had said. "I practised and practised and practised, and you know what? I competed in the Olympics." He paused, and smiled as the boy in front of him gaped.  
"I wanna be in the Olympics!" Jack had exclaimed.  
Eddy grinned. His great teeth didn't intimidate the boy. Jack grinned right back.  
"You can," Eddy said, "if someone teaches you. It's a lot of work, though – lots of after-school practice and exercise. Do you still want to be a figure skater?"  
"Yes!" Jack yelled. "Yes, please!"  
"Do you want me to teach you?"  
"Oh, please, please please please!"  
Eddy laughed. "Well, in that case kid, you can call me Eddy. I'll be your figure skating trainer from now on, kiddo."  
Jack positively beamed. That must have been one of the happiest moments of his life, being told that Eddy would teach him those flying leaps and jumps. He'd been ecstatic.

Since then, Eddy had become more than just a trainer – he'd become his mentor, adviser, best friend, even a second father figure. He'd become an integral part of Jack's life, and a part of his family.

Even when Jack had hit success, and he'd been told he should switch to a younger trainer better geared to Jack's skill level, Jack had refused to train with anyone but Eddy. Eddy wasn't young and he couldn't perform some of the harder moves, but he had an intimate knowledge of the world of figure-skating and a unique perspective as an ex-Olympian on what Jack needed to succeed. Jack had achieved a roaring success thanks to Eddy, and he knew it was Eddy who could help him achieve his ultimate dream.

Jack smiled at the memory. Yep, Eddy had a way of lifting his spirits that nobody could. Even giving him some hope. He'd been wallowing in despair since he'd woken up, afraid he'd have to give up his dream forever. But Eddy's determination and no-nonsense attitude made things feel... possible again.

Man, he was glad Eddy had visited.

* * *

The next morning, Jack was woken by the night-shift nurse. They'd developed an odd grudging respect of each other since the bathroom incident – Jack owed the woman one, and she no longer treated him with the condescension most of the other nurses did. Her name was Jenny.  
"Jack," Jenny said, shaking the boy's shoulder to wake him. "Jack, wake up."  
"Whadissit..?" Jack mumbled, swatting at Jenny's hand. "Sleepy."  
"You should wake up," Jenny said. "You've got a roomie arriving today, I wanted to let you know so you at least had some forewarning. My shift's about to end, so I've got to make it quick."  
"Roomie?" Jack blinked confusedly up at the woman.  
"Yeah," Jenny said, indicating the empty bed on the other side of Jack. Jack felt a sensation of dismay sink into his stomach. He'd assumed that the room was being kept privately for him – he wasn't sure why, other than that the bed had stayed empty for the whole time he'd been in hospital.

"Who?" Jack asked. He suddenly felt nervous. He'd never had to share a room with someone before. The idea of having another living being so close in proximity, his privacy so intimately invaded, terrified him.

"He's called Sanderson Hawkins," Jenny explained. "His parents called him Sandy. He just got checked in this morning, he was riding a bike to school and got hit by a car. Cracked his skull, same as you. He also fractured a couple of ribs and broke his arm. He also sustained a lot of superficial injuries – cuts, bruises and the like, poor kid. Hasn't woken up since he got here. He should be moved from E.R to here by about 10 am."

"Damn," Jack murmured. Poor kid indeed.  
"Oh, and one more thing," Jenny added. "He's.. very quiet. Not exactly mute, but not likely to talk much, either. His parents were very adamant that we knew that."  
"How old is he?"  
"Eighteen. Pretty small kid, though. You'd think he was younger, looking at him."  
Jenny checked her watch. "And I'd better get going. Take care, kiddo."  
"You too. Thanks, Jenny."  
"No problem, Jack."

Jenny left, and Jack was left to puzzle over the news.  
It was better knowing that the kid was apparently quiet. Jack was still on edge about the idea of living so close to someone. What if the kid had annoying habits, like snoring or playing loud music? Worse, what if _Jack_ annoyed the kid? What if they didn't get along? What if they had opposite sleeping habits?

Jack's stomach fluttered with nerves, and he found that he was too anxious to go back to sleep. He tossed and turned restlessly, growing impatient. He partly wanted Sandy to arrive as soon as possible, so he wouldn't have to wait for the inevitable, and partly wanted it to take as long as possible so he'd have the room to himself for longer.

He almost wished Jenny hadn't told him. That way, it would have been an unpleasant surprise, but at least he wouldn't be freaking out over the whole thing.

The day seemed to drag on painfully. Jack glanced at the clock every five minutes – to him, it felt like half an hour. He groaned out loud in frustration at the slowness of the hands.  
Suddenly, at half past nine, the door opened. Jack nearly leapt out of bed in shock.  
"Hi, Jack! Good to see you!"  
It was Tooth. Both relief and nerves crashed into Jack's stomach.

She was wearing a different outfit this time – a purple-blue long jacket that reached her knees over a teal blue v-neck sweater with lime green jeans. A long yellow scarf was wrapped around her neck. She took this and the jacket off, revealing the sweater's elbow-length cuffs and a multitude of gold bangles, and tossed them on the empty bed.  
"Brrr!" she exclaimed. "It's cold out. How've you been?"  
"Better," Jack said. "Sorry, but you might wanna move your stuff."  
"Really?" Tooth's eyes widened. "Are they moving a patient in here?"  
"Apparently. He's supposed to be moved here at about ten."  
"That explains why you looked so startled," Tooth said with a giggle. "You looked like a deer caught in the headlights when I came in! Are you by any chance nervous?"  
"No," Jack said stubbornly. Tooth just laughed. "Oh Jack, it's written all over your face! Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'm sure you two will get along. Do you know who it's gonna be? I just passed E.R, so I might have seen them."  
"Some kid called Sanderson Hawkins? Eighteen years old with a skull fracture and broken arm. Got hit by a car this morning."  
Tooth pressed her hands to her mouth. "Sandy? Sandy Hawkins? You're kidding!"

She pulled up a chair next to Jack. She looked horrified – her violet eyes were wide and shiny. "I know him," she said. "He lives on my street. Oh, poor Sandy... I had no idea. He's such a sweetie, too."  
She chewed her lip, a crease of worry appearing between her eyebrows. "Gosh, I hope he's okay. Did they say anything else about his condition?"  
"The nurse just told me he had a skull fracture like mine," Jack said. "So hopefully that means not worse. And the broken arm. She also said he had a lot of superficial injuries, like cuts and bruises."  
"Oh, poor thing. Sandy, of all people, I can't believe it!"

She stood up and crossed the room to the empty bed. She picked up her scarf and jacket and placed them on the second chair next to Jack's bed, plonking into her original chair. "Well, at least I can tell you he's a lovely kid," Tooth said sadly. "He's really sweet. Very quiet, but he's got a smile for everyone, you know? Everyone loves him at school. He'll make a good roommate, that's for sure – he mostly keeps to himself, he won't bother you."  
"How long have you known him?" Jack asked.  
"Since I moved here," Tooth said. "Gosh, that must have been when I was eight. Years ago! I met him the day we moved in. He was riding his bike along the street and stopped to say hi. I remember being desperately jealous that he could ride a bike. So he offered to teach me. We've been friends ever since."  
"Wow," Jack murmured. "He sounds like a nice kid already."  
"Oh, he is, Jack. He's so cute. Every year he gives a rose to every girl on Valentine's Day who didn't have a Valentine that year. He's friends with everybody, so it's pretty easy for him to work out who's single and who's not. It's so sweet!"  
She flushed. "I have to admit, he's given me a rose more than once. It's a little sad, but it's so sweet on his part."

She shook her head. "That's why it's so sad that this has happened."  
Jack pondered for a moment. "Hang on, he was riding to school. If you both go to the same school, then shouldn't you be at school too?"  
"We have different classes," Tooth explained. "Today, I don't have any classes until after lunch. So I usually spend that time here."  
"You really enjoy volunteering here."  
Tooth shrugged. "It's good experience to have if you want to go into medicine, like me. And, I don't know, I just really enjoy it. I get to talk to people. I get to help people, even. It's... I don't know how to explain it, but it's nice."  
Jack smiled. To be honest, he wasn't sure what the appeal was in cleaning up after a bunch of sick people, but Tooth looked so happy. She clearly enjoyed it. He figured it took a special kind of person to take such joy in helping others.  
He found that he really liked that.

At that moment, the door opened. Jack looked past Tooth to see a nurse wheeling in a boy in a wheelchair. Another nurse trailed closely behind them.  
The boy really was small – he was about the size of a ten-year-old, though his physique was more like that of a teen. He had a wild shock of sandy blonde hair reigned in by a white bandage, and the golden tan colour of his skin was interrupted by various cuts and mottled bruises. He was wrapped in a yellow dressing gown, and Jack could see pale blue pyjamas peeking out at the hem. The right arm of the dressing gown trailed – the boy's arm was in a sling against his chest. And he was completely unconscious, head lolling to the side and mouth slightly open.  
The first nurse smiled at Jack and Tooth. "Just moving in your new roomie!" she sang. "He's asleep at the moment, that's what the wheelchair is for, we didn't want to wake him up. He should come round at some stage, though! In which case, you'll get to know him! Won't that be exciting?"

Neither Jack nor Tooth answered. The two nurses carefully lifted the boy out of the wheelchair and into the bed. They tucked him in gently, careful not to disturb him, then left the room with the wheelchair, the first nurse flashing a smile at the pair.  
Jack turned to Tooth. She had a hand pressed to her mouth and her eyes were wide and very shiny.

She stood up and tiptoed over to Sandy's bed.  
"He looks so little..."  
Tooth appeared to be trying hard not to cry as she gazed down upon the sleeping form. "He really got hit by a car. Oh, Sandy..."  
Jack sat awkwardly, not sure what to do. Tooth looked so upset. What could he do or say to make her feel better?  
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He hopped down onto his good leg, and used one of the chairs between his bed and Sandy's to hop over to Tooth. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She twitched slightly, and he hesitated; but she said nothing. He gently settled his fingers against the woolly material of her sweater. He didn't say anything; there wasn't anything he could say. He just stood there with his arm around her.  
After a while, Tooth took in a ragged breath and sniffled slightly. She bent her head and rubbed her nose. Jack took a tissue from the box on Sandy's bedside and held it out to her. She smiled and pressed it to her face.  
"I'm sorry, Jack," she said, her voice sounding thick with emotion. "I just... I wasn't expecting that. I've never seen him like that."  
"He'll be fine," Jack said. "Hey, just look at me. I was a drooling vegetable when you met me!"  
Tooth made a noise into the tissue that sounded halfway between a sob and a giggle. "I guess. It's just.. a shock, that's all. I know he'll be fine, I just wasn't expecting that." She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, Jack," she said, and then she did something unexpected –

She leaned into him for a hug.  
Jack hadn't anticipated that. He felt his breath catch slightly as her arms closed around his torso. He hadn't realised how much shorter she was than him until he felt her head rest against his chest.

His fractured ribs protested against the embrace and his leg ached at the weight, but he didn't care.  
He swallowed hard, and folded his arms around her. She felt so small. His heart thudded against his ribcage.  
He wasn't sure, but he thought he could feel another heartbeat as well, echoing his own.

Tooth pulled away suddenly. Her cheeks looked red and flushed – probably from her tears.  
"Sorry!" she gasped. "You shouldn't be putting any leg on that weight, should you? Oh, Jack!"  
She gently pushed him back towards the bed. "Get back in bed, now! I don't want to screw up your leg!"

Jack smiled. "It's fine," he said. "I wasn't putting much weight on it anyway." Regardless, he did what he was told and hopped back onto the bed.  
"You shouldn't be putting any weight on it at all! Gosh, I shouldn't have let you get up at all." She shook her head like a cross schoolteacher. "Honestly!"  
Jack chuckled. "It's alright, Tooth," he said. "You feeling any better?"  
"A little," Tooth said. She smiled. "Thank you.. I needed that. At any rate, it's good to know Sandy's got a nice guy with him. You two will get along really well, I think."  
"I sure hope so," Jack said. "I think we're both gonna be stuck here for a while."

Tooth smiled, and looked back at Sandy, a sad look still in her eyes. She looked back at Jack. "I, um.. I don't want to sound demanding," she said in a small voice. "But when Sandy wakes up... if there aren't any nurses around, could you... take care of him? Like, just explain what's going on, keep him company. So he doesn't panic. Would that...? Is that okay?"  
"It's fine," Jack said. "You were there when I woke up; I owe you one anyway. It's no problem." Jack distinctly remembered the wild panic he'd felt when he'd woken up paralysed – if Tooth hadn't been there to explain the situation, he didn't know what could have happened. He might have hurt himself in his attempt to move. He looked down at the small boy swaddled in the huge nightgown, and knew he wouldn't want the kid to go through that.

Tooth beamed widely, every one of her perfect teeth on display. The girl must have brushed her teeth five times a day. Or maybe she brushed with sunbeams.

"Thank you so much, Jack," she said, and stepped forward to wrap her arms around him in another hug. Jack smiled into her tousled hair. The multicoloured tufts tickled his face.  
"Seriously, it's no problem," Jack said. "C'mon, what else would I do when he woke up? Point and laugh and call him 'potato'? Dance the macarena and throw glitter at him?"  
Tooth giggled into his chest, and the sensation made Jack chuckle too.

"Seriously though," Tooth said, pulling away, "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I know you two are gonna get on like a house on fire." She looked up at Jack with a big grin.  
"Well damn," Jack said, "I hope he brought the firehose!" Tooth laughed again.

"I'd better get going," she said apologetically. "I still have to report back to Manny... and I have school in an hour or so. If I want to get there in time for class, I'd better start walking now."  
"How far is your school from here?"  
"Not that far, a half-hour walk. But I don't wanna be late!"  
"Fair enough. Enjoy your classes!"  
Tooth wrinkled her nose and giggled. "History and English," she said with a shudder. "Eugh. Loads of fun! But thanks anyway."  
She shrugged on her purple coat and wound the yellow scarf around her neck. "I'll see you soon, Jack," she said with a big smile. "You take care, okay?"  
"You too," Jack said. "Watch yourself on the street, okay? If it's cold out, be careful."  
"I will," Tooth said. She waved as she opened the door. "See you soon!"  
"Bye, Tooth!" Jack called, and she smiled and closed the door behind her. Then she was gone.

Jack sighed and slumped down into the bed. He glanced over at Sandy. Was the boy really eighteen? He looked tiny in his overlarge dressing gown. His hands, resting either side of his body atop the sheets, appeared soft and small like a child's, the knuckles still small and undeveloped, the nails neat tiny pink crescents. If Jack had passed him on the street, he would have wondered where his mother was.

"I guess it's just you and me now, bro," Jack said. The sleeping boy didn't respond. Jack sighed and flopped against the pillow. Wow. So much crazy stuff had already happened, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

He looked over at his new roommate. _Well,_ he mused.  
_At least he's quiet._


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Sorry about the delay! As I mentioned before, I've been moving into college, and I've been pretty tied up with packing, sorting myself out and meeting my housemates, heh. Much busier than I expected! Once again, writing this is what's keeping me sane xD**  
**Thank you once again for all the follows and kind reviews, it's so kind of you! I'm glad everyone's enjoying the story, it's what makes it worth it! Once again, thank you, and enjoy! ~3**

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When Jack woke the next day, Sandy was still completely out of it. Jenny had come into the ward several times during the night to check him, but Sandy never stirred once, unlike Jack who was jolted awake every time she opened the door.  
Jenny never once tried to wake Sandy. "It's better to let the patient wake up by themselves after a head injury," she'd said. "I did it with you. The more rest he gets, the faster he'll get better anyway. Let me know if he wakes up, though."  
However, Sandy never woke. He didn't even stir, remaining in the same position the nurses had left him in when they'd moved him to Jack's ward.

This worried Jack. He knew he'd been the same – he'd apparently been unconscious for a full day after being taken to hospital. But it still bothered him that the boy didn't even stir.

He was also worried, because Manny had said that his dietician would be visiting today. Well, dietician-slash-trainer. Apparently the guy was supposed to oversee his rehab and training as well as his diet. Jack couldn't imagine Eddy putting up with some other guy criticising his training and undermining his authority. Eddy liked being in charge; the idea of someone else being in control would probably frustrate the big man to no end. Jack smirked at the image of Eddy being ordered around by someone else. Eddy would blow a gasket, if he didn't kill the guy first.

The dietician was due for ten-thirty. Jack glanced anxiously at the clock. Ten-forty-five. The guy was late.

Jack had all but given up on the dietician ever appearing when the door finally slammed open. Jack gaped as the giant strode into the room.

He was huge – bigger than Eddy, even. He was dressed like a typical doctor, with a white lab coat over a charcoal shirt and bright red tie. He had white hair pulled back into a ponytail and a great snowy beard that blanketed his front. His muscles seemed to be trying to burst out of the lab coat.  
He looked like a retired biker with a talent in crushing skulls. He sure as hell didn't look like someone who told people what to eat for a living.

"Ah! You must be Jack Ferguson, yes?" The giant strode over and grabbed Jack's hand in a crushing handshake. "I am Doctor North, but they call me Nick. Your head, how do you feel?"  
The giant had a great booming voice and a foreign accent. Something European. Northern Europe, Slavic? Russian, even? Jack wasn't sure, but he took a wild guess at Russian.

"I'm fine," Jack said. "You're the dietician?"  
"Yes, I will be advising you on your eating habits until you are back to full form, my boy. As you can see, however, telling people what to eat is not all I do."  
Nick sat down heavily in the chair beside Jack. It creaked audibly. Even sitting down, the giant seemed to tower over Jack.  
"I will also be advising your trainer and overseeing your rehab and training," Nick said. "First and foremost, I am a physiatrist, specialising in sports medicine. The dietary part of it came as another aspect of my interest in sports medicine. Either way, I am the best person for you if you want to back to full form and ready to skate in the next Olympics. That is our goal, no?"  
"I guess it is," Jack said. "If I can't make this year, I want to have a go at the next Olympics."  
"Now, that is the spirit!" Nick boomed. "Excellent. Now, first things first. Have you started any dietary restrictions yet?"  
Jack thought about Tooth's mom's curry, and shook his head. Nick nodded. "Alright, this is no problem. Simply good to know. Starting from today, however, I will be initiating a dietary plan for you that I will pass on to the nurses and the cafeteria. I've already talked to your trainer about your previous diet and eating habits, so I already know your dietary needs. However, I feel I must chat with you, because I must know – what foods do you like? I can't give you a diet that you won't want to eat!"  
Jack smiled. "What did you think of Eddy?"  
Nick smirked wickedly, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Eddy is nice fellow, but stubborn. Very Australian – I have met many Australians, and he is very much one. Typical of Australians to be stubborn like him. It will be interesting to work with him for the next few months, this is for sure!"

Nick went over his diet plan with Jack, outlining each of his meals for the next few months. It was very thorough and specific. Jack couldn't believe that someone had gone to so much effort just to tell someone what they should eat. Then again, that was what the huge European was being paid for.

"So, is everything all good for your eating plan?" Nick asked. "Any preferences, anything you like changed? Any foods you want taken out?"  
"That should all be fine," Jack said. He wasn't a terribly picky eater, and there wasn't anything in the plan that he wouldn't eat. He was happy to follow the plan the way it was, if it kept him in shape.  
Nick beamed. "Excellent, excellent," he said. "Now, to discuss your rehab. You've had your leg broken for nearly a week, yet you have had no crutches! This is bad, very bad. Trying to walk on a broken leg without crutches can affect the healing of the leg. Have you tried moving around much?"  
"A little," Jack admitted, remembering his bathroom trips. And his moment with Tooth.

Nick shook his head. "You should be fine, but no more walking on that leg for you," he said sternly. He stood up and crossed the room to pick up a pair of crutches. Jack hadn't noticed him bring them in – he'd been too awestruck by the appearance of the giant.  
He brought the crutches over. "Stand up – carefully, no weight on that leg," he ordered. Jack slid off the bed and onto his good leg.  
"Try these." Nick handed the crutches to Jack.  
They were a typical wooden affair, with foam cushions on the top and the handgrips. Jack settled onto them, only to realise that the crutches were too tall and the grips were too far down.

"Here, I will adjust them," Nick said. Jack passed the crutched back to Nick, who quickly and deftly adjusted the height of the crutches and repositioned the handgrips. He passed them back to Jack.

Jack tried the crutches again, and this time they fit comfortably under his arms.  
"Take a few steps, see how you go," Nick said, stepping back.  
Jack swung the crutches forward, and attempted to lever himself forward. His cast knocked the wood noisily. _Ouch_.  
"Common mistake, is no problem," Nick said breezily. "Spread crutches out a little more – it will give you more room to move, and more stability."  
Jack took another step, and this time the action was steadier. He didn't knock the wood this time.  
He took a few more steps around the room, and found that using the crutches got easier as he practiced with them. It didn't take long to get the hang of using them.

Nick clapped proudly. "Good work, Jack! You picked that up quickly. Now, use them whenever you want to walk, even if it is to just bathroom – the less you use your bad leg, the better. These will be your two new best friends for the next few months, my boy!"  
Jack smiled. He'd already made two new friends – well, if Sandy counted. He may not have woken up yet, but Jack was growing comfortable with the boy's presence. That may have just been because he wasn't even conscious, though – it might be different when Sandy woke up.

After Nick had left, Jack figured he ought to practice with the crutches a bit more. He wondered if he was allowed to wander around the hospital. _I should be,_ he concluded. _I'm a patient, why wouldn't I be allowed to explore?_  
With that reasoning, he left the room to have a look around the hospital.

It was the first he'd seen of the hospital outside of his room – he had been unconscious when he was brought into his room, and he hadn't been outside of it at all. He passed the nurses' station, and one of the nurses nodded at him.  
He saw a sign that said 'Gardens'. He figured it'd be a good place to head towards – all the other signs had confusing medical words, and the one sign that was a word he recognised read 'Cafeteria'. He figured that with his diet, the cafeteria was the last place he ought to go.

So, he made his way to the gardens.

As he walked through the narrow white corridors and took the elevator, Jack concluded that hospitals were weirdly quiet yet busy. Everyone was doing something or heading somewhere – every doctor or nurse or janitor or patient he passed had a look of urgency on their face, and glanced at him with almost a nervousness, as if they were worried he'd delay them somehow. Jump in front of them and wave his crutches around or whatever.

It was quiet, but there were still sounds – busy sounds. The click-clack of busy feet, tapping fingers on keyboards, the squeak of wheels as gurneys and wheelchairs and food trolleys were carted around, beeps and whirrs and hums of various machinery and technology, the soft murmur of voices. It was quiet, but never silent.

Eventually, he found a door that led outside. It led out to a big garden in the middle of the hospital, the carefully tended trees and plants surrounded by the towering concrete and steel of the building.  
It _was_ cold out. Jack shivered in his hoodie and bare feet. Leaving the warmth of the hospital when it was so cold was probably a stupid idea.  
Despite the cold, though, the sight of the little trees and shrubs made Jack smile. It was a beautiful little garden, a nice little green retreat from the stark whiteness of the hospital. He sat down on a bench and breathed deeply, relishing the bracing cold air.

"Jack! What are you doing out here?"  
Jack looked up and to his surprise, saw Tooth jogging up to him. She was completely bundled up in her jacket, scarf, and a pair of blue gloves. She reached him and sat down beside him, pulling off her scarf and wrapping it around his neck. "It's freezing!" she exclaimed. "And you're not even wearing shoes! How long have you been out here?"  
"Yeah, good to see you too," Jack said playfully. Tooth huffed and swiped his arm. "I'm serious! You could get hypothermia out here!"  
"I haven't been out that long," Jack said. "A couple minutes max. I'm not even cold yet."  
"Psh, you should be." Tooth stood up. "C'mon, you should get back inside. Next time you want to take a stroll in the garden, you should at least take a jacket.. or wear some shoes!"  
They walked back into the hospital, the warm gust of air as they entered taking Jack by surprise.  
"Are you back here for more volunteering?" Jack asked.  
"I'm actually not signed up to work today," Tooth admitted. "I mainly came here to visit you and Sandy. I see you finally got crutches! How are they going for you?"  
"They're not bad," Jack said. "Still wish I could actually walk, though."  
Tooth smiled apologetically. "You know that's not gonna happen for a while."  
Jack shrugged. "I know. How was school?"  
"Oh, school-ish. I had bio this morning, though, so that was good."  
"So today you finish early?"  
"Yep! Yesterday I started after lunch, and today I finish before lunch. I love my timetable."  
She stopped suddenly. "Hey, Jack, can I ask you something?"  
He turned to look at her. "Sure. What is it?"

She looked embarrassed. Her cheeks turned pink. "Can... can I look at your teeth?"  
Jack blinked. Well, that was different. He hadn't expected anything like that.

"What do you mean, look at my teeth?" he asked. Tooth bit her lip, looking away. "Y'know," she said. "Look at your teeth. Like, just a quick look. I'll be gentle, I promise."  
"You want to actually look at my teeth? Like a dentist?"  
"Well... yeah, kinda."  
Jack's heart thudded. He tried to imagine Tooth's fingers in his mouth. He suddenly realised how intimate that would be – Tooth would be so close. It was nearly on the same level as kissing.  
It was one thing to have a professional stranger poking away at his teeth. It was totally different when the person poking at his teeth was the girl who made his heart flutter.

"Out here?" Jack asked. The corridor wasn't exactly private. Tooth shifted awkwardly. "Well, unless you'd like to go somewhere else," she said. "It's hard to find anywhere private in a hospital."  
Jack sighed, and nodded. "Okay," he said. Tooth beamed delightedly.

Jack hunkered down on his crutches so that Tooth could reach his mouth. She stepped in close, her face inches away from his. He could feel her breath on his face – it was warm and minty. She tentatively reached out towards his lips, touching them gently. Jack opened his mouth, and Tooth gently slipped a finger between his lips and gums, pushing his lips away so that she could see his teeth.  
It was a weird sensation – unlike normal dentist trips, Tooth wasn't wearing gloves, so instead of the usual latex and rubbery feeling, Jack could taste her fingers as they rested against his tongue, and he could feel the ridged surface of her fingertips and the smooth hardness of her nails. Her fingers had a salty, dusty taste – odd, but not unpleasant.

He looked up at her; she looked enraptured, her violet eyes wide and mouth slightly open in a smile. She made soft cooing and ahh'ing sounds as she inspected his teeth. He could feel her tap her nail against the enamel, rub the pad of her index finger against the gum. She seemed oblivious to the fact that he was staring her, caught up as she was with blissful joy.

She moved her hands, positioning her left hand so that her thumb was the only finger in his mouth, holding his lips aside so she could see the molars. The rest of her hand almost caressed his face in a way that made his cheeks grow hot. The fingers of her right hand continued to tap and rub gently against his teeth.

Eventually, she withdrew her hands, wiping Jack's saliva off on her jeans. "Your teeth are amazing!" she gushed. "So white! And no cavities or fillings – your teeth are really healthy, Jack! Your gums looked a bit sensitive, though."  
"So, Doc, what's the verdict?" Jack asked jokingly. Tooth giggled. "Perfect teeth, lovely and white," she said, "though you really ought to floss more."

Jack snorted. "That's what they always say! Floss this, floss that."  
"Because it's true! Nobody flosses, it's so frustrating." Tooth looked genuinely annoyed. "People should be flossing _at least_ once every day, but no matter how many times dentists tell them that, they still think it's an optional thing. But it's not! It's actually really important! But everyone is so _ignorant!_" Tooth threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "It drives me crazy!"  
Jack chuckled, following her as she flounced down the corridor. "Okay, okay, I get the message! Floss once a day. Got it, Doc." He nudged her with his elbow, and she giggled.  
As they got close to the ward, Tooth became quiet. She looked uneasy.  
"Has Sandy woken up yet?" she asked in a timid voice.  
Jack bit his lip. "Not yet," he said. "He hasn't moved. The nurses think that's okay, though. I mean, I slept for a whole day. The nurse said that it's probably better to let him sleep for as long as possible, it gives his brain more time to heal itself."  
Tooth nodded. "That makes sense," she murmured. "I think I'd rather he was still asleep anyway. It would have been too weird if he'd.. y'know, been like you."  
Jack snorted. "And seeing me the way I was _wasn't_ weird?"  
Tooth chuckled. "Well, with you it was different. You were like that when I first met you. Maybe if I'd known you before, it would have been weird."  
"You kinda did, though. You said your mom's a fan of me."  
"Well, yeah, but I didn't _know_ you. I'd seen you perform, I'd seen you in interviews and stuff and I knew about you, but I didn't _know_ you. It was a little weird seeing you like that when the night before I'd watched you perform these incredible jumps, but it wasn't fully weird or unsettling. Like, I bet your parents or your coach were really freaked out to see you the way you were – that's because they know you. I didn't; I just knew _of_ you."

Jack considered this. "I guess," he said. "Still, though. Don't worry too much about it, he'll be fine. He just needs the rest, is all."

Tooth smirked. "So how are you enjoying your new roommate, then?"  
Jack chuckled. "Well, I'll tell you what, he's nice and quiet!"

They reached Jack's room and walked in. Sure enough, Sandy was still asleep. While Jack hopped back into his bed and propped his crutches up against the wall, Tooth made a beeline for the chair between the two beds.

She sighed sadly at the sight of the motionless boy. "You're right, he hasn't moved," she said. "Gosh, I hope he's okay."

Jack reached down to pat her shoulder. "He'll be fine. It actually sounds like he got pretty lucky. A car accident, it could have been so much worse."  
Tooth nodded. "That's true," she admitted. "I don't want to imagine anything worse, though. This is a good-case scenario, and it's still bad enough. I just still can't believe something like this would happen to him of all people."  
They both gazed at Sandy's prostrate figure for a moment. Aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the boy simply did not move.

Tooth sighed. "I hope he wakes up soon."

She turned to Jack. "Have you started your diet yet?"  
"I guess so," he said. "I talked to the dietician today. He was kind of a weird guy. Doctor North – do you know him?"  
Tooth giggled and nodded. "He's great, isn't he?" she said. "Russian, by the way. He travelled from St. Petersburg to learn medicine here, it's pretty amazing. You wouldn't think so looking at him, but he's great with kids – I think he specialises in pediatric physiatrics, he works with kids a lot. He's amazing with them, they love him! They aren't afraid of him at all. I guess it helps that he always brings presents for them. He's such a sweetie when it comes to kids."  
"I guess I can imagine that," Jack said. As huge and intimidating Nick had been, he'd been friendly and gentle. He could visualise the huge man crouching down, large blue eyes crinkled in a smile, to greet a child.

Tooth glanced up at the clock and expressed a small groan. It was nearly two in the afternoon. How had the time gone so quickly? "I have to get going," she said sadly. "I promised my mom I'd pick up some groceries after school. I'm sorry!"  
"Why are you apologising? It's not a big deal," Jack said with chuckle. "You got chores to do, you got chores to do."  
"I kinda wanted to keep you company," Tooth admitted. "I know sitting around in hospital by yourself can get boring. Plus I don't really want to leave yet." She made a face and stuck her tongue out. "I like hanging out with you!"  
Jack laughed, but a fluttering feeling erupted in his stomach. _She likes being with me._  
"I like hanging out with you too," he said. "But honestly, I can entertain myself, don't worry. You go get that shopping!"  
Tooth sighed. "Alright then. In that case, I'll see you soon!"  
She leaned over the bed and pulled him into a hug, pushing her chin into the curve between his neck and shoulder affectionately. Jack felt his stomach leap and instinctively pressed his hands against her back.  
He didn't know if his hands were just really big, or if she was really small, but it astonished him how tiny she felt under his grip. He could feel her breath on his neck.

It was a few heart-stopping moments before he realised he was still holding onto her tightly. She hadn't pulled away or said anything. Embarrassed, he let go and she drew back, smiling. Her cheeks were slightly pink.  
"Take care, Jack," she said, picking up her jacket.  
"You take care too," Jack said. "I'll see you later!"  
"See you soon!" Tooth called, and she slipped out of the door. Jack sat back, exhaling deeply. He reached up to touch the spot on his neck where Tooth had snuggled against. His hand touched something soft, and he suddenly realised that Tooth had left her yellow scarf still wrapped around his neck.  
_Shit! I should find her and give it back._ No, Tooth would have long since left the hospital by now. Chasing after her would be pointless now. _It's okay. I'll just return it when she next visits._  
He smiled, and lifted the fabric of the scarf to his face, nuzzling the soft material. He breathed in, and it smelled sweet and minty. Like her.

He felt his cheeks grow hot, even though nobody was watching. He glanced at the sleeping Sandy, Tooth's friend. The sweet guy who gave her roses on Valentine's Day. Inexplicably embarrassed, he pulled the scarf off and tossed it to the foot of the bed.

_Pull yourself together, Jack! She's probably not even interested in you. She's just nice to you 'cause she's, well, nice. A nice girl. She'd be just as nice to any other guy, not just you. Stop getting so crazy over her, man. Besides, you don't have time for love interests. You're an athlete, you don't have time for this relationship crap._

He sighed and curled up on the bed, balling up the sheets and pressing them against his stomach as if it would fill the empty, fluttering feeling in his stomach. _You don't have room in your life for crushes, girlfriends. Especially not crushes on girls who don't feel the same way. Don't be so stupid, be sensible, nip this crush thing in the bud._

But he didn't want to stop thinking about Tooth, about the feeling of her face pressed into his neck, her light hands caressing his face, her pink cheeks and high-pitched laugh. The way she cooed and fussed over him, her natural nurse taking over.

An image of Tooth in a sexy nurse uniform popped into Jack's head, and he groaned.

_This is just freaking pathetic. _

The door unexpectedly opened. Jack looked up in surprise. Why would the nurse be coming in now?  
But a nurse didn't come in. To Jack's delight, a familiar chocolate-haired little figure burst into the room and raced to the bed. Jack felt a grin involuntarily stretch across his face as the bundle of jackets and scarves and brown hair jumped onto the bed and barrelled into his arms, burying her head in his chest. He chuckled and ruffled the already-tangled shock of hair. "Hey! What's all this? I'm being attacked by a mop! A mop with arms, no less! Shall I use you to wash the floor?"  
"Nooo," the girl wailed, burrowing against him. "It's me, Jack! It's Emma! Don't tease me, I've missed you so much."  
Jack chuckled and hugged Emma tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I missed you too, kiddo. What are you doing here?"  
"Visiting. With Mom and Dad. They're talking to the nurse right now, the nurse wanted to tell them 'bout your diet or something. I dunno. Don't care. I just wanted to find you."  
"Well you sure did, mop-head!"  
"Don't make me sorry I found you. I didn't think you'd make fun of me the whole time." Emma looked up, a pout on her pretty round face. Her big brown eyes looked tearful. "I haven't seen you for nearly a whole week, and as soon as I do, you call me a mop-head!"  
Jack laughed and bumped his forehead against hers. "Aww, I'm only teasing, kiddo. I'm only doing it because I'm so happy to see you. I missed you too, y'know! How come you didn't visit me all week?"  
"Mom and Dad wouldn't let me! They left me at home every time they visited you. It was so unfair."  
"You know, that's because they didn't want to scare you. Don't be too mad at them, hon."  
"What do you mean, scare me? I'm not scared of hospitals!" Emma sat up and frowned stubbornly.

"Because I looked really sick before," Jack explained. "You watch all the medical shows, don't you?"  
Emma nodded proudly. The little girl was determined to become a nurse. To her credit, she happily watched gory medical programs that showed graphic footage of macabre injuries and surgeries without so much as flinching.  
Once, Jack had tried to watch one with her. He'd given in ten minutes into the show, unable to stomach any more of a hip replacement surgery, and upon standing up to leave he'd promptly fainted. Emma had teased him mercilessly for weeks.

"Well, do they show anything about people who are, like, vegetables? They can't move and they drool a lot?"  
"Yeah, duh. The ones with severe brain injuries. They're kinda unsettling."  
"Well, I looked just like that when I first woke up. I couldn't move and I was drooling."  
Emma gaped at him wide-eyed. "But – you just broke your leg!"  
"Yeah, but I also hit my head really hard. I cracked my skull and bruised my brain."  
Emma was horrorstruck. "Mom did not tell me that!" Her expression turned to fury. "They didn't tell me any of that!"  
"Calm down," Jack said softly. "They only didn't tell you that because they didn't want you to worry. And they didn't take you because they knew I would look really bad and it would freak you out."  
"It wouldn't have freaked _me_ out."

"Yes, it would have."  
"No! I don't even get scared watching brain surgeries!"  
"Yeah, but you don't _know_ the people getting the surgery, do you?"  
Emma stared at him confusedly. "What do you mean?"  
Jack tried to remember what Tooth had told him. "You don't know those brain-injured people on t.v, so you don't know what they're like. How they normally act, what they talk like, how they move. But I bet the people who know them would be really shocked to see them like that, because they're used to seeing them looking normal. Seeing someone you love go from normal to vegetable-like would be really scary, wouldn't it?"  
Emma pondered. "I guess."  
"Well, I looked like that. I looked like a vegetable. Now try and imagine me looking like a vegetable."  
Emma made a face. "I can't. You're too... you."

"Yeah, exactly. You can't imagine it 'cause you're so used to seeing me look normal. But I _didn't_ look normal, Em – I looked scary. It would have freaked you out and you would have gotten worried."  
Emma made a stubborn face.  
"C'mon, you would have!" Jack insisted. "You would have gone home and not gone to sleep. I know you, Em. You would have stayed up every night until I looked normal again."  
Emma chewed her lip. Jack knew she wouldn't say anything, but he could see that she knew he was right.

Emma got really stressed out when she was worried. A bad score on a test would keep her awake all night worrying about what their parents might think. Jack found that downplaying bad things, making things seem less serious than they were and turning everything into a game, helped. Emma could blow things out of proportion and turn mountains into molehills, and it affected her badly – she'd suffer sleepless nights and be unable to eat. Stressing could make her really ill.  
So joking around and turning serious things into games helped lessen the stress a bit.

Trying to reassure her wouldn't help – Jack knew their parents wouldn't be upset over a bad grade, they certainly wouldn't be angry, but Emma still convinced herself that their parents would be furious anyway. However, Jack joking about their dad looking like a blowfish when he got angry and making her laugh about the whole thing helped make facing their dad about the bad grade easier. If she could laugh about it, she could relax.

Turning things into jokes and games wasn't going to solve the problems, but it sure made them easier to face. Jack had ample experience of that with Emma.

"They were just trying to help," Jack said again. "Please don't be mad, Em."  
Emma sighed. "Okay," she muttered. "But y'know, it probably would have helped. I want to be a nurse, I'm gonna have to deal with sick people, dealing with you might have been a good start."  
"No, Em. It wouldn't have been worth it. You would have worried too much."  
"But I'd get over it eventually! I wouldn't get sleepless nights forever."  
Jack smiled and planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "The fewer sleepless nights you get, the better _I_ sleep. I don't want you to get _any_ sleepless nights, kiddo."

Emma rolled her eyes, but snuggled back against him anyway.

Jack hugged her tightly and felt oddly content. Having Emma back was strangely comforting. He hadn't realised how much he missed the familiarity of home until now. Holding Emma was like being back at home. He felt much better having something that he knew and loved with him in this very unfamiliar environment. It was like having a life preserver in a stormy ocean – something comforting to cling on to, to keep afloat.

"Oh! I forgot." Emma sat up and rifled through her jacket. "I got something for you."  
She pulled something out of her pocket.  
It was one of her favourite old toys – a threadbare, ragged old stuffed rabbit. One eye was missing and its ears had turned decidedly grey. She'd carried it around everywhere when she was little.  
He remembered one Christmas eve, when she'd crawled into his bed, too excited to sleep. She'd actually been on the verge of tears, afraid that Santa wouldn't come since she couldn't sleep. It had taken ages for him to calm her down and reassure her that Santa would still come anyway. He'd had to make up a story about Santa being able to turn invisible so he could sneak toys under trees when children were unable to sleep.

Reassured that she hadn't scared Santa off for good, Emma had finally curled up against Jack and fallen asleep. He vividly remembered the toy rabbit she'd wrung in her hands in her panic. She'd dropped it after drifting to sleep, and he'd picked it up so she wouldn't panic about it being gone when she woke up.  
He smiled at the memory and took the rabbit.  
"I thought it'd be something familiar, y'know?" Emma said. "I know it's not anything of yours, but... it's something. It's nice to have old things in unfamiliar places."

Jack gave her a hug. "Thanks, kiddo. It'll definitely help. It'll make me feel better when I miss you."  
Emma suddenly looked guilty. "I have to confess something," she said. "I've, um... I've actually been sleeping in your room since you've been in hospital. I couldn't sleep in my room, and I missed you so much, so I slept in your bed. I'm really, really sorry, I just miss you so much..."  
Jack laughed at her repentant face and ruffled her hair. "What kind of confession was that? I was expecting you to tell me you broke my skates or something. Kiddo, you can sleep in my bed as long as you want if that makes you feel better, okay? You have my full permission."  
Emma beamed and settled back against Jack's chest. "Yay! Thank you. That makes me feel better. I wasn't sure if you'd be angry or not."  
"Why would I be angry? You're just sleeping there. If you broke the bed or tore the sheets it'd be a bit different."  
"Oh, I haven't done anything like that. Nothing broken."  
"Well, there you go. Nothing to worry about. Okay?"  
"Okay."

As they cuddled, the door opened again. Jack's dad poked his head around the door with a smile. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" he asked. Jack smiled and shook his head. "Hi, Dad."  
His dad walked in, followed by his mother. "Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"  
"Much better."  
His mother crossed the room and pushed his hair out of his face, hand cupping his cheek. "You look much better," she said, appearing relieved. "You've finally got some colour back in your cheeks. It's nice to see you looking like your old self!"  
Jack patted her hand. "Maybe it's 'cause I finally got some exercise. The dietician-rehab guy gave me crutches, so I was able to explore the hospital a bit."  
"Oh, good," his dad said. "So you're getting some activity, that's great. You don't want to be too sedentary!"  
"Doctor Luna was just telling us about deep-vein thromboses," his mother said, looking faintly shell-shocked. "It was horrible. Apparently lots of hospital patients get them, since they're not moving around enough. You're low-risk since you're healthy and active, but you still want to make sure you get plenty of activity."  
"What's a deep-vein thrombosis?" Jack asked. He felt Emma shudder. "They're nasty," she said. "They're like blood clots in your veins. If you leave it, it can eventually travel up to your lungs. It'll hurt a lot and cause damage to the tissues – when it gets to your lungs, they call it a pulmonary embolism. That can kill you."  
Jack shuddered. "Eugh, nasty. How do you know if you've got one?"  
"They usually happen in the veins of the legs," Jack's mother said. "You'll know, because your leg will swell up hugely and hurt. They can usually treat it with anticoagulant drugs, though. Even if it gets to your lungs, they can usually sort it out in time."

Jack made a face. "Okay, I think that's all I need to know about nasty medical stuff for one day. Can we talk about something nicer, now?"

They continued talking for another hour, the time seeming to fly by. Jack explained Sandy to his family (his mother in particular took a liking to the small kid, becoming oddly motherly and sympathetic – Jack caught her sighing and gazing at the boy several times, he almost wondered if his mom was planning to adopt Sandy), and Emma told him about the new kid at school.  
Before he knew it, though, his parents were pulling a tearful Emma from him.  
"But it's not even dinnertime yet!" Emma wailed, clinging tightly to Jack. "Can't we stay longer?"  
"Visiting hours are nearly over, sweetie," his mother said apologetically, gently tugging at Emma's fingers. "And we need to put dinner on anyway. We'll take you to visit tomorrow after school, okay?"  
Eventually, his parents were able to pry Emma away and lead her out of the room. It was a real struggle for Jack to keep a smile on his face as he watched his distressed little sister being nudged out of the ward in tears, but he knew that breaking his mask and revealing his own unhappiness would only upset her further. He waited until the door was shut, and felt his own face crumple. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed Emma until she'd visited.  
He curled up and pressed the little rabbit to his face. He was gonna miss the kid.

_If only my leg would heal up sooner.._

He glanced at Sandy. _Well. At least I'm not totally alone._  
He watched the boy's unmoving face.

_Sort of._


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay, guys! Moving into college was pretty hectic, and uni's started too, now. That's all, there shouldn't be too many major delays from now on. Oh, and I hope everyone likes Sandy! Enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

Jack was jolted awake by a soft groan. The rabbit had slipped from his hands; he fumbled around for it and found it trapped between the sheets. He scrabbled for it and clutched it tightly. His eyes snapped open – it was still dark. The clock showed that it was six in the morning. Another faint whimper echoed in the silence of the room. He rolled over.

Big, perplexed eyes blinked up at him from Sandy's bed, reflecting light even in the gloom. Jack sat up. Sandy was awake.

"You okay, buddy?" Jack whispered, crawling out of bed and hopping over to the chair between their beds. He sat down in it, leaning forward to inspect the boy. Sandy watched him silently the whole time.

"Can you move?" Jack asked. Sandy nodded slightly. He slowly moved his free hand beneath him, levering himself up into a sitting position. Jack leaned forward and reached out to steady him as he sat up.

"Can you talk?" Jack asked. Sandy twisted his mouth, frowning. He coughed and swallowed hard. He opened his mouth, but only made another husky groan.

Jack chuckled. "Sounds like you need a moment to get used to talking again. You were asleep for a while. Pretty much two whole days."  
Sandy stared at him bewilderedly, before glancing down at his broken arm. He looked back up at Jack, a horrified expression on his face.  
"You.. had an accident," Jack explained. "Do you remember anything?"  
Sandy shook his head. He opened his mouth.  
"I.. walking to school. That's it. What happened?"  
The boy's voice was soft and low, if crackly and husky from disuse. He was doing a lot better than Jack had been when he'd first woken up.

"Don't panic, but.. you got hit by a car," Jack said gently. Sandy's eyes went wide. "What?! But – how?! I don't even remember!"  
"You hit your head, that's why," Jack explained. "You slightly fractured your skull – called a hairline fracture, I think. So a little bruising on the brain. You also broke your arm and fractured a couple of ribs. Nothing permanent, luckily."  
Sandy looked at his arm, and pondered over the various cuts and bruises not obscured by his nightgown and pyjamas. "Oh. That explains why I feel like death warmed up, then."

Jack smiled. "Yeah. You're doing pretty well, actually. You're talking and moving fine, which is pretty damn good!"  
Sandy smiled back. He appeared to ponder for a moment, then looked back at Jack, a curious look on his face. He narrowed his eyes at Jack, squinting at him, then his eyes widened.  
"Hold on," Sandy said. "You're Jack. You're the figure skater, aren't you?"

Jack blinked in surprise. "Um, yeah. I guess so."  
Sandy smirked. "You _guess_ you're Jack Frost."  
Jack shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, it's not every day a kid wakes out of a coma and pretty much the first thing he does is ask if I'm Jack Frost."  
"True. You broke your leg, didn't you?"  
Jack nodded. The all-too familiar expression of sympathy crossed Sandy's face. "Aw, man. I'm really sorry. I was really excited to see you in the Olympics."  
Jack shrugged. "Whatever. Next time."  
"Yeah." The boy didn't pry further, but the pity remained in his eyes.

Jack sighed and stood up. "Will you be okay? Do you want me to get the nurse or anything?"  
Sandy smiled placidly and shook his head. "No, thanks. I'll be alright. I just want to go to sleep, I guess. I'm sure you do too."  
Jack nodded. "Okay. Well, just let me know, alright?"  
"Sure," Sandy said, rolling over. "Night, Jack."  
It wasn't night any more, but Jack didn't bother correcting the boy. It didn't matter, really. Besides, his bed was calling his name. "Night, Sandy," he replied. "Sleep well."

His head hit the pillow, and before long the incident melted from his mind, taken over by blackness.

* * *

Later, Jack awoke to the curious sound of tapping and shifting. He lay with his eyes closed and fiddled with Emma's rabbit in his hands for what felt like ages, as he tried to work out what the sounds were. Eventually he gave up and opened his eyes.

It was coming from behind him. Jack rolled over to face Sandy's side of the room.

Sandy was sitting up in bed. The television had been moved closer to his bed, and Sandy was wearing a set of headphones, the long wire plugged into the television. Another wire attached an X-Box controller to an X-Box set up in the television stand.  
Jack sat up and glanced at the monitor. Sandy was playing Skyrim. Jack leaned in to watch.

Sandy was good; Jack was impressed. What with his training, he'd rarely had time to play video games, though he enjoyed watching Emma play them. Sandy would have kicked Emma's butt if they'd played together, however. Jack stared at the screen in awe.

A while later, and Sandy finally noticed Jack. Jack saw the boy jump in surprise and rip his headphones off, pausing the game.  
"Sorry!" Sandy said. "I didn't realise you were awake. How rude of me, you should have tapped me on the shoulder or something."  
"There wasn't a problem," Jack said. "I was fine watching. You're really good."  
Sandy smiled. "Do you want to play?" he offered, reaching for a second controller that Jack hadn't yet noticed.  
Jack balked. He'd rarely played video games. He didn't think he was very good at them. There was no way he'd be able to compete against Sandy. The smaller kid would rip him to shreds.

"I don't really play games," Jack said tentatively.

Sandy nodded. "What with your skating and all," he said thoughtfully. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, I promise."

He handed out the second controller, the smile still tugging at his baby face.  
_I guess it couldn't hurt,_ Jack decided. _It's not like I have anything better to do._

Hesitantly, he took the controller, and Sandy beamed.  
"Alright!" he exclaimed, exiting his game and opening a new one.  
It was hard, at first – Jack was embarrassed by his ineptitude with a game controller. At first he just aimlessly mashed the buttons and joysticks, hoping he'd hit something useful. This tactic appeared to work alright, if not reliably.

As they played, however, he soon began to figure out what each button did, and how to work the joysticks so he had more control over the character's movement and viewpoint. Eventually he started hitting each button with a better sense of strategy, instead of just hitting them randomly.

"You're getting the hang of it, alright!" Sandy said encouragingly. "You've played before, haven't you?"  
"Not much," Jack admitted. "I played Mario Kart a couple times with my sister, but it's not like I play enough to have any real idea of what I'm doing."  
Sandy chuckled. "You have a sister?" he asked.  
"Yeah," Jack said, struggling to concentrate. He didn't know how Sandy could casually fight a troll and hold a conversation at the same time. "She's much more into games than me."  
"Fair enough," Sandy said. He didn't ask any more questions. Jack found it odd, but he didn't say anything – he was more relieved that he didn't have multitask.

They continued playing in relative silence, with an occasional frustrated groan from Jack and satisfied little _"hmph"_s from Sandy. It wasn't an awkward silence – with Sandy, it felt comfortable, natural. Jack still felt weird around the kid, not knowing him at all, but he was beginning to grow comfortable with his occasional short conversations and strange understanding looks.  
Sandy was odd in that he was curious and liked to ask questions, often ones that Jack found uncomfortable, like the question about his sister. But as soon as Jack felt he didn't want him to pry further, Sandy would stop. It was as if he knew that Jack was uncomfortable. He seemed to be testing how far he could pry before he made Jack uneasy. Jack wasn't sure how to feel about that. He wasn't sure how to feel about this strange boy at all.

He wasn't even sure if he liked him better when he was asleep – after all, he was beginning to enjoy playing the video game with him. There seemed to be ups and downs to having the boy awake. Jack felt like he'd gotten a new roommate all over again.

They finished the level, and Jack asked for a break. He was beginning to grow hungry, and was pretty sure that breakfast was meant to be coming soon.

"Have you met Tooth yet?" Sandy asked. Jack was taken aback by the question.  
"Tooth?" he asked, caught off guard.

"Yeah," Sandy said with a small smile. "A friend of mine. She volunteers at this hospital, I'm pretty sure she mostly works in this ward. Y'know, small Indian girl with green hair? You should have seen her around by now."  
"Oh, yeah," Jack said. "No, I knew who you meant, I just.. the question took me by surprise, I think."  
"Didn't expect we'd have someone in common?"  
"Something like that. But yeah, she's said hi to me a few times."  
"Yeah, she's really friendly." Sandy chewed his lip. "Did she visit while I was still... out of it?"  
"A couple times," Jack admitted. Sandy twisted his mouth. "How did she react?"  
Jack decided to be honest. "She was pretty shocked," he admitted. "She was upset that you got hurt."  
Sandy frowned, a dismayed expression on his face. "Poor thing," he said. "I hoped she wouldn't see me like that. She gets terribly upset about that kind of thing. I'm sorry to have upset her."  
"She got over it pretty quick," Jack said hastily. "I think it was just a shock for her. Seeing a friend unconscious, it's not always nice."  
"No, of course not. I knew she'd had experience with head injury victims, but I was still worried I might have upset her." He shook his head. "She was the first thing I thought of when you told me I'd slept for two days."  
"You like her?"  
Sandy looked up, eyes wide in surprise. Jack was embarrassed to have blurted out the question so quickly. He felt his cheeks go pink.

Sandy just laughed. "No, not like that!" he said. "No way. Not that she's not cute, because I can happily admit that. She's just always been one of my best friends, I care about her a lot, but as a friend, y'know?"  
He smiled mischievously. "Why are you interested to know if I like her?" he asked slowly.

Jack could swear his ears were on fire. Fortunately for him, the door opened and he heard the sweet squeaking of the food cart. _Sweet Mary mother of Jesus, I've never been so happy to have crappy hospital food carted out to me in all my life._

"Hello, boys!" the nurse sang as she pushed the trolley into the room. She was Jess, one of the day-shift nurses, a bubbly blonde young woman with wide blue eyes and a perpetual smile. "Nice to see you up and about, Sandy hon! I was told you'd woken up, it's good to see so myself."  
She pushed the cart over to him and set down a tray with a flourish. "Nothing less than the high-quality restaurant standard breakfast goodies for you, my dear! A la carte!" She winked. "Well, a la _cart_, anyway. Ba-dum-tiss. Don't mind me making terrible pun jokes over here, now."  
Sandy smiled, but just nodded. He opened the tray and grinned appreciatively. Jess beamed, then turned to Jack's bed.

"And as for you, Jack!" she exclaimed, brandishing another tray. "Special athlete's order, coming right up! Tailor-made specially for you, hon!" She flashed him a grin, and he smiled back.

"Thanks, Jess."  
"No problem, sweetie! Now you two enjoy your food, breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all! I'll be back in half an hour to grab your trays, so I'll see you soon!"  
She smiled and waved at them both, then pushed the cart out of the room. Jack could still hear her high-pitched voice echoing down the corridor; she had a particularly loud, contagious laugh.

Jack lifted the lid off the tray and was greeted by a small protein bar. On a plate. With a knife and fork. And a little sprig of parsley on the side. The canteen sure had a sense of humour.

He unwrapped the bar and stared at it dejectedly. _It's for your own good,_ he reminded himself, _you were the one that asked for this so you could stay in shape,_ but those thoughts didn't stop him from feeling a little miffed when he looked over at Sandy, who was happily tucking into a plate of bacon and eggs. Sandy looked up and winked. "You can have some, I won't tell," he said, offering him a strip of bacon.

Jack smiled, but shook his head. "Better not," he said reluctantly. "I need to stick to the diet. But thanks anyway."  
Sandy smiled sympathetically and popped the bacon into his mouth. "Okay," he said after swallowing the piece. "But my offer remains ever open. I'll never deny a guy his food!"  
"Tch, you're the devil, tempting me like that!" Jack exclaimed, and Sandy laughed.

They ate in silence for a few moments, then Jack decided to ask the question that had been tugging at his mind since it had occurred to him several minutes previously.  
"Sandy," he said. "What did you mean what you said 'she gets terribly upset about that kind of thing', before? When you were talking about Tooth being upset? It just... sounds like you've seen her get upset over things like you being in hospital more than once."  
Sandy froze mid-chew. He stared uncertainly at Jack for a few moments, then swallowed.  
"I'm a bit of a magnet for hospital trips," Sandy admitted. "Just unlucky, I guess. Tooth just gets upset whenever I'm hospitalised, that's all. You'd think she'd get used to me being in accidents all the time, but she still gets all distressed every time." He shrugged. "That's all. Sorry I didn't explain that earlier."  
"No, I'm sorry for prying," Jack said sheepishly. How did he turn into the one asking uncomfortable questions?  
"It's all good," Sandy said with a grin. His teeth were oddly small, like a child's. "You were curious. Fair enough."

They finished eating in silence, then Jack slid back over to the chair beside Sandy's bed as Sandy pulled out the game controllers. Sandy said nothing, only giving a reassuring smile as he handed a controller to Jack, and they began to play again.

It wasn't long before Jess came back to take their empty plates away. "It sure is good to see you two getting along so well!" she exclaimed as she loaded their plates onto the food cart. "I'll leave you kids to it. Have fun!"  
They continued playing. Jack was getting better; he even managed to help Sandy kill a troll without getting killed five times himself. "I knew you'd get the hang of it," Sandy said triumphantly. "Now, I'm sure there's another troll around here somewhere."  
At that moment, the door opened, and the two boys turned.

Tooth stuck her head through the door, and Jack's stomach fluttered as her violet eyes went the widest he'd ever seen them. Her mouth fell open, and with a strange, almost birdlike squeal, she flew through the room and launched herself on top of Sandy.

"You're awake!" she shrieked, hugging the small boy into a tight embrace. "Nice to see you too, Tooth," Sandy said teasingly.

"Ohmygosh it's so good to see you awake and not vegetable-like and Jesus Sandy you got hit by a car and good lord I was so worried –" Tooth gasped and her expression changed from delighted surprise to fury.

"_You had me so worried!"_ she screeched, thumping Sandy on the back of his head.  
"Ow!" Sandy yelped, rubbing his head. "Watch it, I have skull fractures! You would seriously beat up a hospital patient?!"

"I'd beat up _you!_" Tooth hollered, punching his good arm. "What the hell were you thinking, Sanderson?! Riding your bike to school on a frosty day, I _told_ you there was ice on the roads, I _told_ you it'd be dangerous –"

This tirade continued for a good few minutes, Tooth shouting herself blue in the face. Sandy merely sat and tried unsuccessfully to look penitent – the tugging smirk at his lips spoiled the illusion somewhat. He winked at Jack, who sat in shock, completely bewildered by the whirlwind that was Tooth and her joy at seeing her best friend. Despite her yelling, she still clutched Sandy tightly around his middle.

Tooth paused to gasp in a great breath. Her hair was sticking out all over the place and she looked flustered. Tears brimmed at her eyes. "I was so afraid!" she exclaimed, and her voice cracked at the end. "You looked so little and helpless in that bed – I didn't know what to do!"  
Sandy took her face in both of his little hands and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'm never helpless, you know that," he said with a wry grin. "Now calm down, kiddo. I'm alright."  
Tooth let out a strangled sob and threw her arms around the boy. He smiled and patted her back calmly while she buried her face in the folds of his nightgown.

Jack was sure that he'd be insanely jealous of anyone who would have held Tooth so closely like that, but instead, he found the scene oddly touching. The embrace wasn't romantic in the least; it actually reminded Jack of the times he'd hugged Emma through her anxiety attacks. The pair were more like siblings than friends, and Jack wondered why he'd ever considered Sandy a threat.

Tooth eventually withdrew from Sandy, sniffing and rubbing her face with her sleeve. She was wearing a deep blue cable-knit sweater today – the v-neck exposed much of her throat and collarbones, and revealed a gold feather-shaped pendant. The sight did strange things to Jack's insides. He wondered if the girl wore any other colours than various shades of blue, green, and purple.

She looked up at Jack sheepishly, rubbing the tears away furiously. "Oh, Jack! I'm so sorry," she said apologetically. "You poor thing, having to sit through all that, I didn't mean to ignore you! How are you?" She slid off Sandy's bed and gave him a quick hug, her familiar minty scent oddly comforting.

"I'm alright," Jack said, hoping the burning in his cheeks wasn't a painfully obvious blush. "Y'know, just kicking around as usual. Or at least I would be, if I could kick."  
It wasn't one of his greatest jokes.  
Tooth pressed her hands to her mouth and giggled. "Of course," she said, eyes sparkling. "How are you two getting along?"  
"We've been okay, Jack and me," Sandy said, grinning. "Haven't we? We've been mostly playing Skyrim all morning."  
"I'm no gamer, but Sandy's not a bad instructor," Jack said. "It's been fun."  
Tooth made a face, but smiled. "I'm no gamer either," she said. "Sandy's tried to get me into the whole video-game thing for years now, unsuccessfully. Good to see you two are getting on well, though!"  
"He's alright, this guy," Sandy said, smirking. "Not bad for a pretty-boy skater."  
"Hey!" Jack tossed the video-game controller at Sandy, who laughed as it bounced harmlessly off the bed.

"Hey, Tooth," Sandy said, "Are you actually volunteering today? I seem to remember today wasn't one of your on-duty days."  
"No, it's not," Tooth admitted. "I just wanted to see how you two were going."  
"Awesome," Sandy said, and a glint appeared in his eyes. "That's great, because Jack and I were just about to watch a movie. D'you wanna watch it with us?"  
_Were we?_ Jack stared confusedly at Sandy, but he simply gazed innocently at Tooth.  
Tooth shrugged. "I guess," she said. "It depends. What's the movie?"  
"Oh, we were trying to decide between How To Train Your Dragon – my choice – and Ice Princess, Jack's choice."  
Jack's mouth fell open. _Ice Princess?! Wasn't that the Disney movie? About some figure skater girl? Could Sandy have possibly picked a more embarrassing choice? As if Jack would want to watch that movie! Why would Sandy – oh._ His eyes narrowed, and Sandy winked mischievously at him. _The sneaky little wise-guy._

Tooth chuckled, looking curiously at Jack. "Interesting choice," she said. "But I think I'm gonna have to go with Sandy on this one. How To Train Your Dragon, hands-down."  
"Awesome!" Sandy said. He scrambled to the end of his bed, reaching towards the television stand to pick up a DVD case balanced on top of the X-Box. He unplugged the X-Box and turned on the DVD player, popping the DVD case open and pulling the disc out.

Tooth perched herself awkwardly on the edge of Jack's bed. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked. "Or do you want your bed back?"  
"Why don't you both sit on Jack's bed?" Sandy suggested. "You'd have a decent view. And it'd be more comfortable for both of you."  
Jack frowned. _What was Sandy playing at?_ Nevertheless, he stood up off the chair, smiled awkwardly at Tooth, who smiled back and shimmied over so Jack could sit down next to her on the bed.  
Sandy grinned smugly and pushed the DVD into the player. He wielded the remote control with a flourish, and hit the _play_ button.

Jack shuffled back against the pillow, nestling back into a more comfortable position. He carefully kept his vision to the t.v, but he felt Tooth doing the same, so she was lying right next to him. His ears started burning again.

He'd always enjoyed How To Train Your Dragon, even though he thought it was a little corny at times. Emma had always loved it, so he liked watching it with her. But this time, he could barely focus on the film.

He kept getting distracted – every so often, Tooth would shift or shuffle a little to get comfortable. She'd reposition her legs, or fiddle with her hands. Occasionally she'd make little sounds in reaction to the film – in the funny parts, she'd chuckle softly, and the sound right next to his ear would make the hair on Jack's neck stand on end. In the sad parts, she'd make a little dismayed or sympathetic sound in her throat. In the tense parts, she'd make little gasps or sounds of surprise. She was never quiet.

This was in contrast to Sandy, who had fallen asleep twenty minutes into the film. Apparently he was the type of person who easily fell asleep in movies.

For his part, Jack felt completely frozen. He didn't move for fear of disturbing Tooth, or bumping against her or something. He'd never felt more uncomfortable in his life.

At some point in the movie, in the part where Hiccup and Astrid were riding Toothless through the clouds, Tooth did something unexpected. She lifted her head and settled it on Jack's shoulder.

Jack jumped slightly when he felt the sensation of something touching his shoulder. He quickly relaxed when he realised it was her, though his heart started pounding at a million miles a minute, and she lowered her head again, slowly and hesitantly descending until the full weight of her head was nestled into his shoulder. She shifted her shoulders a little, the action causing her her head to press his shoulder some, a ticklish sensation. Then she lay still, nestled into the little dip between Jack's shoulder and chest.

Jack's heart was thumping so hard against his ribcage, he wondered if it would affect the healing fractures. His entire face and ears felt like they were on fire. He'd stopped paying attention the film completely now; he was too focused on the new and terrifying and oddly elating sensation of Tooth snuggled up to him.

_Is this what friends do? Is this normal? Is this a good thing – could this mean she likes me?_

_But girls do that with each other... Emma and her friends are forever hugging and cuddling and whatever. But... not with boys. Not with boys they're friends with. Right?_

_But Tooth was like that with Sandy... hell, he kissed her on the forehead barely an hour ago. Maybe that's how she is with all her friends, even the guys.  
This is way too confusing._

_God dammit, Jack, the girl you've been unable to stop thinking about lately is snuggling up to you right now and you can't even enjoy it! What is wrong with you, man?!_

Jack tried to clear his head and focus on the film. But Tooth was too distracting. So he focused on her instead.

He could feel stray tufts of her hair tickling his neck, and the warm minty draft of her breath. Her head was a dead weight on his shoulder – he was pretty sure his arm was asleep, but he didn't care. He could still faintly feel her shoulders nestling under his arm; one was pressed into the side of his body. Occasionally she'd shift her head slightly, the sensation ticklish.

He could feel her heartbeat, gently pulsing through her neck and shoulders. It was an odd sensation – he seemed to feel it almost internally, rather than externally, the rhythm vibrating _through_ him. It was a comforting beat, and was slightly faster than his, which he would have thought impossible considering the way his own heart was hammering his sore ribs.

Despite the turmoil in his head, Jack found that he was beginning to enjoy the close contact. His heart still pounded and his face burned, but he was beginning to grow comfortable. He shifted down slightly, moving his numb arm so his hand rested on Tooth's shoulder. His fingers tingled – he couldn't tell if it was from pins and needles, or the strange mix of excitement and nervousness. She responded by snuggling closer into him. Jack felt himself smile.

They lay like that for the rest of the movie, and even after the ending credits. Eventually the DVD switched back to the menu, and Sandy finally woke up.

Jack panicked when he saw the boy stirring. "Sandy's waking up," he said, and Tooth immediately pulled away. The pair quickly sat up as Sandy blinked blearily at them. Again Jack found that he was hoping the burning sensation in his cheeks wasn't a bright red blush.

Sandy grinned at them. "Enjoy the movie?" he asked.

The trio hung out for a little longer, Sandy quizzing them on the film, and ultimately, Tooth had to leave again. "I'll be back tomorrow," she promised, giving Sandy a tight hug.  
"Your rehab starts tomorrow, doesn't it?" she asked Jack, pulling him into a quick embrace.  
"Yeah," Jack confirmed into her hair. "Ten in the morning."  
"I'll be there for that, then," Tooth said, pulling away and flashing him a bright smile. "See you two tomorrow, okay?"  
She waved to them both, and flew out the door. Jack was pretty sure he was still stunned from when she'd first whirled into the room that day.

Sandy yawned, turning off the television and flopping against the bed. "Well, that completely wore me out," he declared. "Guess I'll take a nap. Young love is exhausting."  
"What are you talking about?" Jack yelped. Sandy winked at him and rolled over. "Night, Jack."  
"Not until you tell me what you're on about with the 'young love' thing!"  
"Sleep tight, loverboy."  
"Sandy!"

It was to no avail; Sandy had already crashed. He snored softly, looking as peaceful as a baby. Jack crossed his arms and glared at the sleeping form in frustration.

_Is it that obvious I like her?_ Jack groaned and slumped against the pillows. Great.

* * *

It wasn't long before the door opened again. Jack sat up quickly, heart thumping again. Could Tooth be back?  
He felt both relieved and mildly disappointed when the small head that poked curiously around the door wasn't Tooth's. But these feelings were quickly dispelled by joy when Jamie smiled happily and bounded into the room, launching himself onto Jack's bed. "Jack!" The boy threw his scrawny arms around Jack's waist and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much! Are you okay? How's your leg?"

"Missed you too, kiddo," Jack said, ruffling the small boy's hair. "I'm okay. How've you been?"  
Another little head popped around the door, and Sophie let out a gleeful cry and danced over, hauling herself up onto the bed and jumping on Jack's back.

"Sophie, be careful! Jack's injured!" Jamie scolded.

"She's fine, my back's okay," Jack said, grinning. It was good to see the two kids. The scrambling children gave him an odd sense of deja-vu from Emma's visit.

Another familiar head appeared, a wry smile on Eddy's unshaven face. He sidled through the doorway and strolled over, a big plastic bag in one hand.

"I leave them for five seconds and they run off and strangle one of the hospital patients," Eddy said. "Bloody kids are a menace! Oi, you two, how about you let Jack breathe for a second? He's turning blue!"  
"No he's _not,_ Dad!" Jamie groaned. "He's fine, he said so!"  
"Yeah, _Dad!_" Sophie said with a giggle. Eddy groaned and rolled his eyes, plonking grumpily into the chair next to Jack's bed. He almost seemed to be pouting; Jack suspected he was putting it on. Then, he looked up and winked. The two kids burst into giggles.

"How've you been, Frosty?" Eddy asked.  
"I'm alright," Jack replied. Jamie settled himself in Jack's lap, while Sophie continued to lean on his back. He didn't mind; Sophie wasn't very heavy. "I feel loads better since the last time you saw me. Will you be there for rehab tomorrow?"  
"You betcha," Eddy confirmed.

"What's 'rehab'?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, I know!" Jamie exclaimed. "It's where people who are injured or can't move go to learn to move again. So, paraplegics go there to learn to walk again."  
"Jack's not a paraplep–parapla– he's not paralysed."  
"No, but he's injured."  
Sophie gasped. "Did you forget how to walk when you broke your leg, Jack? Do people normally forget to walk when they break their legs?"  
Jack laughed. "No, Sophie, I didn't forget to walk. But my muscles aren't used to it because I've been sitting down so long. So I've got to get my muscles used to walking again."  
"Ohh."

"How's school going, Jamie?" Jack asked. Jamie shrugged. "It's okay," he said. He glanced at Eddy. "I didn't do too good in the math test. Dad said it was okay though."  
Eddy shrugged. "Who the hell's gonna need maths when they get out of school? Don't tell your mother I said that to you, kids." Jamie giggled.  
"And how's Cupcake?" Jack asked teasingly. Sophie let out a squeal. "_Cupcaake!_"  
Jamie blushed furiously. "She's fine," he muttered. "What about her?"  
"Oh, nothing, just good to hear," Jack said lightly. "Did she do anything for Valentine's Day?"  
Jamie's expression turned confused. "She gave me a lollipop," he said, his voice bewildered. "And then ran off. Then she came back and hit me." He pulled up his sleeve to show Jack his bruise.  
"Girls are _weird_."  
Jack smirked. Cupcake, a tough tomboyish girl in Jamie's group, had had a crush on Jamie for a while now. Seeing the tall, macho girl fumble over the finer points of expressing affection was really rather adorable to watch. Typically, Jamie was oblivious to it all. Jack got the impression that Jamie was beginning to develop a crush back on her, though.

"Oh! Sophie has a little present for you, don't you, Soph?" Eddy said. Sophie gasped, then wriggled off the bed with a giggle. She took the plastic bag from Eddy and pulled out a huge tupperware container filled completely with cupcakes.

She proffered the container proudly, an excited grin plastered all over her face, strands of her long blonde hair everywhere. "So you don't get hungry!" she sang.

Jack smiled and took the container, peering into it. Each cupcake was absolutely smothered in thick pink frosting and coated with multicoloured sprinkles. Some of the cupcakes were a bit lopsided, too much mixture having been plonked into the paper cup when Sophie prepared the cupcakes to be put into the oven.

He grinned. "They look delicious, Sophie," he said, leaning down to plant a kiss on the little girl's head. "Thank you very much!"  
Sophie squealed and jumped into her father's lap, beaming proudly. Eddy smirked over the top of her, raising an eyebrow. _Good luck getting rid of those,_ his eyes seemed to say.

"I got you something, too," Jamie said.  
"More presents?" Jack exclaimed. "Heck, it's like Christmas! I should break my leg more often!"  
Jamie laughed, then pulled a slightly crumpled roll of paper out of his jacket, handing it to Jack.

Curiously, Jack unfurled the paper, pulling it open.

It was a clumsy drawing of Jack, in a sketchy rendition of one of his skating costumes, clearly in the middle of a jump. The five Olympic rings were scrawled above his head. A lump rose in Jack's throat as he stared at it.

"Thanks, buddy," Jack said, pulling Jamie into a hug. "It's awesome, I love it."  
"Mate, we'd probably better get going," Eddy said gently. "Look at your sister, the little ankle-biter's totally conked out." Jack looked over and saw that Sophie had dozed off in Eddy's arms. He smiled wryly. "We'd better get her home. Plus your mum will have dinner on soon."  
"Aww," Jamie complained, but he didn't argue. He hugged Jack tightly again, squeezing him fiercely around his middle. "We'll visit again," Jamie said determinedly.  
"Good," Jack said, smiling at Jamie's grim expression. "Something to look forward to! You take care of yourself, okay, kiddo? Say hi to Cupcake for me."  
Jamie grinned. "I will," he said. "Good luck with your rehab!"  
"Thanks, buddy. See you soon!"  
Jack leaned down to kiss Sophie on the head. "See you too, kiddo," he said. Sophie grumbled in response, eliciting a laugh from both Jack and Eddy. "Yeah, we'd better get her home," Eddy said, grinning. "See you tomorrow, kid."  
"See you later, Bunny!"

Eddy stood up, cradling his small daughter carefully, and led Jamie out of the room. Jamie waved as they walked through the door. "Bye, Jack!"

Jack smiled until they left the room, then looked back down at Jamie's drawing. He frowned as he pondered over the sketch. The gift was bittersweet; It was thoughtful of Jamie to have taken the effort to draw the image, and Jack appreciated this, but the sight of the slightly irregular Olympic rings reminded him painfully of his missed chance. He sighed and put the image away. He'd stick it up later.

He glanced at the cupcakes, and smiled. _Surely just one wouldn't hurt. _He picked up the box and opened it, releasing the excessively sweet smell of the sugary icing-drenched cupcakes.

Sandy suddenly sat up. "Cupcakes!" he exclaimed, staring longingly at the tupperware container. "Now, Jack, what with your diet and all, I really ought to put my foot down here. You can't possibly be allowed to eat all of those yourself."  
Jack laughed; he'd found a way to get rid of them after all. He held the container out to Sandy, who reached over greedily. "Knock yourself out," he said, smiling.

Sandy cried out happily and dug his small hands into the container. "I owe you one," he said around a mouthful of cupcake. "Not at all," Jack replied. "Like you said, I'm on a diet."  
The two ate silently. As he watched the kid happily shovel cupcakes into his mouth, Jack decided he'd finally made up his mind about Sandy; he didn't mind having the kid as a roommate at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**ASDFJKSDFSDFGLSSL THIS CHAPTER DID NOT WANT TO BE WRITTEN ;A;**  
**Two reasons why this took so long - Number One, uni kicked in and got hectic.**  
**Number Two, I got assaulted by one hell of a wordblock. Not fun. I think I kicked it well and truly though.**  
**I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as everyone's expecting, even more sorry if it seems a bit filler-ish ;_; I had to bust through the wordblock somehow, hah!**  
**And yet another apology if the chapter ends a bit abruptly. By the time I got to that stage I was so done with this chapter man xD**

**That said, everyone's been lovely! Thank you so much for the kind reviews, follows and favourites - all are very much appreciated! I hope I can live up to them, haha ;U;**

**Thank you! 3**

* * *

Jack sat on his bed, crutches across his lap, changed into a t-shirt and gym shorts, his usual hoodie on over the t-shirt. He was itching to get moving – two weeks without doing anything had made him impatient to finally do something that involved some sweat.

Sandy was playing video games again. He'd slipped the sling off his plaster-casted arm so it was easier to hold the controller.  
"What time are they supposed to pick you up?" Sandy asked.

"Ten," Jack said. "This must be the third time I've told you."

"I'm not good with numbers," Sandy said with a wry smile. "You sure you don't want me to come along?"

"It's just some exercise," Jack said, turning to smile back. "I don't need my hand held. Besides, my coach, the doctor, the dietician, and Tooth will be there."

"Alright," Sandy sighed. "I can see where I'm not wanted. Carry on without me, dear fellow."

Jack laughed. "Oh, c'mon, it's not like that! I'm just pretty sure you don't want to sit around in a gym all day doing nothing, when you could be working on your highscore."

"This is true. Still, just know that I offered my companionship at a great potential cost to my position on the leaderboard."

Jack chuckled. "Your _potential_ loss is very much appreciated."

The door opened, and Manny popped his head inside with a smile. "Hello there, boys," he said. "Are you ready, Jack?"

"Sure thing," Jack said, hopping up and grabbing his crutches.

"Good to see you using those," Manny said as Jack swung his way out of the room. "You look nicely prepared, too."  
"Thanks," Jack said. "What are we doing today?"

"Some basic exercises to start off with. We don't want to do anything too strenuous just yet."

Manny led him into a section of the hospital where every door seemed to lead to a gym. They were slightly different to normal gyms, though – not only did they have the usual treadmills and exercise bikes and weights, but they had other equipment – strange contraptions that Jack didn't recognise, parallel handrails at waist height for learning to walk, medical-looking equipment, other machines and tools that Jack didn't know the purposes of.  
They passed a swimming pool, and Jack could see people doing laps with foam paddle boards while nurses floated alongside them, keeping them steady. Some of them appeared painfully clumsy, slapping the water awkwardly with their legs. Some of them seemed to be only kicking with one leg. The sight made Jack feel inexplicably nervous.

Finally, Manny led him into one of the gyms. Jack smiled with relief when he saw Tooth, Eddy and Nick sitting on plastic chairs in the room. Tooth looked up and beamed at him, waving. Eddy stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Good, you're here. You ready, kid?" Jack nodded.

"Do we want to start immediately?" Nick asked. "Or do we wish to review exercise plan for today?"

"We ought to show Jack the plan first," Manny suggested. "So you know what you're in for."

"Excellent," Nick said, brandishing a stapled-together sheaf of paper. He placed a heavy hand on Jack's shoulder and pushed him down into a chair. He sat in the chair next to him, while Eddy and Manny pulled up chairs close by. "Sit, we shall take a look at program for today."

The plan looked pretty straightforward to Jack. Most of the exercises were more concerned with training the upper body – it seemed that the doctors were hesitant to let him test his leg just yet.  
They appeared start off pretty easy and increase in intensity.

Jack nodded. "Yep, looks pretty fair. Should we start now?"

Nick nodded enthusiastically, standing up. "Yes, after all, there is no time like the present!"

"I'll do these with you, mate, don't worry," Eddy said, taking off his leather jacket. "So you don't feel like too much of a fool, prancing around in front of an audience and all."

"Sure you can keep up with me, old man?" Jack teased. "And, please. I'm a skater. Prancing around in front of an audience is my job."

"Well isn't he a cheeky bugger," Eddy said, a familiar glint of determination sparking in his eyes. "You'll be sorry you called me an old man, you little sod."

"Alright, first we do chin-ups," Nick said, brandishing the program. "Ten to start, then another ten if you feel up to it. Twenty in all."

"If we feel up to it!" Eddy exclaimed, walking over to a long bar screwed between two support columns in the room. There was enough room for the big man and the boy to use it simultaneously. Eddy stood under it, standing arms akimbo. "Think you can manage, Frosty?"

"Watch you don't give yourself heart failure, Gramps."

Eddy grunted and seized the bar, lifting himself into the air and pumping out chin-ups at a speed that belied his appearance. His powerful chest and biceps groaned to life in an echo of his former prowess.  
Jack didn't have time to be impressed; he also grabbed hold of the bar and began cranking out chin-ups in quick succession. He was pleased to see his rate was faster than Eddy's; soon, he was overtaking his coach.  
However, his arms were disused to the activity, and he felt his muscles already protesting. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder. He couldn't go easy on himself if he wanted to get back into form.

He successfully finished before Eddy, flashing his coach a triumphant grin as the older man finished his last chin-up. "You're losing your touch, old man!" he crowed as Eddy let go of the bar and dropped to the floor.

Eddy groaned. "It's early days yet," he said. "Wait until later, I'll be kicking your butt once you tire out."

The exercises continued like this for another two hours. Jack found that he appreciated Eddy joining him for the workout – trying to beat his coach gave him something to focus on, as well as a short-term goal. It meant he wasn't so hotly aware of everyone else in the room watching him, including Tooth.

At midday, they took a break. Eddy tossed a towel and a water bottle at Jack, who caught the items gratefully. He rubbed the towel quickly over his face, head and neck, and gulped at the bottle.

"Excellent work today, Jack," Nick said. "You're doing well – it seems your body's kept in quite good shape despite the lack of activity. Always a good sign; rehab should progress well, at this rate."

"It may even shorten your overall recovery time," Manny said encouragingly. "The faster you improve, the sooner you'll be on the ice."

Jack smiled. A small seed of hope fluttered in his chest. Gosh, he hoped so.

"Now, we take lunch break!" Nick exclaimed. "Perfect, as I am starved."

"We'll head down to the cafeteria," Eddy said. "Someone should be coming down to give you your food, Jack, so you hang around here. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Jack said.

"I'll stay here too," Tooth said. "I brought my own food."

"Excellent, so Jack has company," North said. "We will be back shortly, then. About... quarter past twelve?"  
"That should be enough time," Eddy agreed.

"Hey now, not all of us wolf down our food like starving hyenas!" Manny exclaimed. "Some of us like to take time to enjoy our meals. Twelve-thirty!"

Eddy rolled his eyes. "Twelve-thirty it is, then," he said, and the three men left the gym. Jack could still hear their raised voices as Eddy and North began teasing Manny for his slow eating.

He looked at Tooth, who smiled and shrugged. "They're already getting on like a house on fire!" she said sarcastically. Jack smirked.

"What a fire - at this rate they'll be having to evacuate the hospital."

Tooth giggled. "Can you imagine them as drinking partners?"

Jack guffawed out loud – the mental image was priceless. He could see Eddy throwing back beers like nobody's business, North downing vodka shot after vodka shot, while Manny would be unable to keep up with the Australian and the Russian. "Poor Manny would end up driving the other two home," Jack chuckled, and Tooth dissolved into giggles.

"So what did you bring for lunch?" Jack asked, pulling a chair over and sitting down.

"Nothing I can share with you, I'm afraid," Tooth admitted, pulling up another chair next to his, sitting down and opening her backpack. She pulled out a fork and a tupperware container filled with rice and what looked like curry. "Lamb rogan josh. Utterly delicious, not even slightly appropriate for you. Sorry!" She smiled apologetically.

"Do you think there's a microwave around here?" she asked.

Jack looked around, and shrugged. "I would have no idea," he said. "Do they normally keep microwaves in a gym?"

Tooth chuckled. "Okay, that was a dumb question," she said. "Oh well, it's not too bad cold."

Jack made a face. "Cold curry? Ugh! No offense, but that sounds nasty."

"Hey! Don't knock it til you try it."

"Well, I can't really, can I?"

"This is true."

Tooth popped open the lid of the container and dug through the contents with her fork. Jack pulled a face of disgust as she popped a forkful into her mouth.  
"Don't look at me like that!" she exclaimed around the mouthful. "I'm sure cold curry tastes better than hot whatever-you're-getting!"

Jack chuckled and shrugged. "Okay, I can't really argue with that. They don't make my diet food with food connoisseurs in mind."

There was a knock on the door, and Tooth stood up and set down her food. She trotted to the door with her usual lightfootedness, bouncing on the balls of her feet as if ready to take to the air. She pulled the door open and peered out.

"Oh! Hello," she said, stepping back and pulling the door wide open. Jack turned to see a nurse with a food cart. "Jack, your food's here."  
The nurse took a plate from the cart and entered the gym, walking over to Jack and holding the plate out. "Here's some energy food for your workout!" she said, beaming. "Hope the rest of your afternoon goes well."

"Thanks," Jack said, hoping that this time it would be more than an energy bar. He took the plate, and saw that there was a small serving of chicken and vegetables in the middle. "Score!" he exclaimed, looking up at Tooth.

The nurse smiled and left the room, pushing the cart away. "I'll be back in half an hour to pick up the plate. Enjoy your meal!" The cart squeaked away, and she was gone.

Tooth shut the door. "What did you get?" she asked, drawing close to take a look.

"Chicken," Jack said, holding up his plate and beaming. "Check it out! I'm eating like a king today."

Tooth laughed. "Probably because you're working out today," she said, eyes twinkling. "Well! That sure beats my cold curry into the ground."

"Aw, I'm sure it's not so bad," Jack said. Tooth snorted and sat down. "Five minutes ago you were telling me that cold curry sounded nasty!"

"So, I changed my mind."

"Pfft, I never know with you."

Jack looked up, and saw the wry smile on her face. He smiled back, and her own smirk deepened into a grin as she looked back down at her food.  
Jack started eating – it wasn't until he'd swallowed the first mouthful that it hit him how hungry he was. His stomach growled in response to the food, and Jack found himself wolfing down the chicken like a starved animal.

It wasn't long before the plate was clean. Jack looked over to Tooth – she was still delicately nibbling at her curry.

She ate like a bird – as she brought the fork to her mouth she'd peck off little morsels from it, making several small mouthfuls out of a single forkful of food. She even bobbed her head a little. Jack hadn't ever seen anyone eat the way she did, and he found her quite endearing to watch.

Tooth looked up and blushed as she realised she had an audience, covering her mouth. "Stop watching me eat!" she exclaimed. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Because I'm done," Jack said, displaying his empty plate with a wry grin and a flourish. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"  
"Very," Tooth said. "I already know I eat weird."

"Nah, you don't. It's kind of cute."

Tooth's colour deepened. "Thanks, I suppose?"

"No problem. Sorry if this comes off as rude, but do Indian people normally eat like you?"

Tooth shook her head. "No, this is just me. Indian people eat like anyone else. Why would we eat differently to Americans?"

"I dunno, I mean according to the rest of the world we eat like pigs."

Tooth laughed. "That's true."

"What, that we eat like pigs?" Jack grinned mischievously.

Tooth swatted his shoulder. "No! Oh, you know what I meant! Anyway; no, the way I eat isn't some weird Thai or Indian thing, my parents are as American as they come, remember. It's just how I eat. Don't ask me why. My mom's forever telling me to eat properly."

"You eat fine. How is the curry, anyway?"

"Delicious as always. Even cold." She winked at him. "How was the chicken? It must have been good considering the way you bolted that down. Watch you don't prove the stereotype of Americans eating like pigs!"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, it was good. Heavenly after nothing but nut bars."

"What, seriously? Just nut bars? Ugh!" Tooth grimaced in sympathy. "You poor thing."

Jack shrugged. "I shouldn't complain," he said. "I asked for the diet. And if this is what it takes to get back into shape for the next Olympics, so be it."

Tooth nodded, head bent forward. She looked up, a half-smile on her face. "Skating really is your whole life, isn't it?" she asked softly.

Jack shrugged. "What else would there be?" he said. "I've been skating since I was little. It's what I've always wanted to do, what I always will do. Even when I can't compete, I'll probably become a coach, like Eddy. Whatever I do in life, it's gonna be skating. That's all I know."

Tooth nodded as he talked. There was an odd look on her face, a strange melancholy that Jack didn't understand.  
"You're lucky to know what you want to do, and to be so successful in it," she said. "Not many kids our age get that."

Jack nodded. "I hear you," he said. "We're pretty lucky to know what we want. What about Sandy?"

Tooth shrugged. "In all the time I've known Sandy, I've never known what he wants to do," she said, a frown appearing on her face. "I love him, but he's so directionless. He just plays video games or sleeps. I'll be honest, it's frustrating. I worry for him. He's so sure of himself, though, he doesn't seem worried at all. Even if you ask him, he just smiles and shrugs and says 'not sure yet'. Like he knows he needs to figure it out, but he's sure he'll figure it out in the end. Or he has figured it out, and doesn't want to give it away just yet. Or something. I don't know."

"He seems like a smart kid," Jack noted. "He definitely doesn't seem like a slacker. I don't think you should worry about it."

Tooth smiled. "I guess," she said. "I don't know. He's my best friend, I can't help it."

Jack smiled back. "He's lucky to have a best friend like you."

Her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Thank you, Jack."

He shrugged. "It's the truth." He swallowed hard. "You're.. really nice. You've been so good to Sandy, I don't think many people spend pretty much all their free time visiting their friends in hospital – I mean, I haven't even seen Sandy's parents visit him yet – and you've been good to me, I mean you barely know me but you kinda took care of me, and you're here now. You don't even have to be, but you're here."

He took a deep breath. The words had tumbled out rapidly and clumsily, as he tried to say them before he could chicken out. He suddenly felt silly.

Tooth just smiled and leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Of course I'm here, Jack," she said. "You're my friend. I know we haven't known each other that long, but.. well, I consider you my friend now. And I take care of my friends. It's not about being good or whatever, it's that I care about you two. And I don't have to be here, but what else would I be doing? Watching television? Bumming around on the internet? Doing homework?" She shrugged. "I'd much rather be here. I'm here because I want to be with you."

Jack could feel his cheeks growing hot, but he smiled and placed his hand over Tooth's. It surprised him how his bigger hand enveloped her tiny one completely. "Thanks, Tooth."

Suddenly, the door opened and Manny, Nick and Eddy walked in. Startled, Jack let go of Tooth's hand and she pulled it away, leaning away from him. Her cheeks were still pink.

Eddy caught Jack's eye, and raised an eyebrow. Jack had the feeling Eddy would be having a private chat with him later, and it wouldn't be about training.

"Ah, you two have finished eating? Excellent!" Nick exclaimed, clapping his massive hands together. "Now, my apologies, Tooth, but the next few exercises will be quite focused, and I do not believe they will be greatly appropriate for a young lady to spectate. There will be undressing of the clothes and such."

Jack felt himself blush furiously. "Undressing?" he spluttered.

"To better observe your muscle movement," Manny said sheepishly. "If Nick had just allowed me to explain from the beginning... anyway, I think Tooth would best be finding something else to do with herself for the time being."

Tooth smiled wryly. "Well, as much as I'm sure I could handle the view, I'd probably better let you get on with as few spectators as possible. Sorry, Jack."

"No problem," Jack mumbled, still stunned. He'd never been so mortified, not even after that one time as a fourteen-year-old when a unitard had unfortunately split during a competition performance.

Tooth giggled and stood up to leave. "I'll just go visit Sandy for a while," she said. "When can I come back?"

"We should be done with that particular activity by one, so feel free to return then," Manny said.

Tooth nodded, and patted Jack's shoulder by way of farewell. "I'll see you later, then," she said, smiling. "Goodbye, guys!"  
Jack didn't see her leave; he was too embarrassed to even look her in the eye. He heard the click as the door fell shut, and looked up to glare at Nick.

"Really, Nick? Was talking about me undressing really necessary?" he snapped.

Nick shrugged innocently. "Is true," he said. "For the next part of the physical, we must be observing the movement of your muscles to be sure they're working correctly and healthily. We must check to see certain muscle groups aren't overcompensating to make up for your leg. Is necessary."

Jack was sure he could detect the slightest hint of mischievous glee in the blue eyes of the Russian. His mentioning of Jack's need to "undress the clothes" was no slip of the tongue.

Manny smirked, picking up his clipboard. "Alright, well, you won't be undressing completely. Just down to the underwear. But yes, we just need to make sure everything's working properly and none of your muscle mass has been too badly affected by your change in movement thanks to that leg."

Jack sighed and stood up, pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Okay, but next time one of you guys talks about me undressed in front of girls, I reserve full permission to sock you in the mouth," he muttered.  
The three men exchanged glances. Eddy smirked.

* * *

Tooth sighed as she shut the door behind her, smoothing her hair back. Gosh, that had been a to-do. She'd been so embarrassed when Nick had mentioned Jack having to strip down. She knew why, of course, but had he really needed to be so blunt? She was amazed she hadn't just melted on the floor. Yet further amazed that she had managed to get out without making a total idiot of herself.

She placed her hands on her cheeks, her palms cool on the blazing skin. _Ugh, I hope I'm not blushing._

She could hear their voices through the door. Jack sounded irritated. She chewed her lip and started walking. _Hopefully not irritated at me. He didn't even say goodbye when I left. I hope I didn't annoy him by hanging around. Maybe being there for rehab was too much? Oh dear, he must think I'm so clingy. I need to learn to not be so pushy... and I said he was one of my friends, even after knowing him for barely a week, oh god! Fastest way to scare off a guy is to be clingy. I'm such an idiot..._

She was still worrying when she got to Sandy's and Jack's ward. She paused at the door and glanced in the glass of the blinds-obscured window. She looked flustered. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to relax her face. Tried to smile. She opened her eyes, and the reflection in the glass looked better.

She opened the door and smiled when she saw Sandy. He was sitting up with a controller in his hands and headphones over his ears. Of course, what else?

She didn't think he would notice her come in, but he glanced to her and pulled off his headphones with a smile. "Hey, Tooth!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Tooth asked, closing the door behind her. "You look awfully busy with that – what is it? Skyrim?"

"Assassin's Creed three, actually," Sandy said. "And I'm never too busy for you!" He paused the game and put the controller down. "Now tell me what's wrong."

Tooth blinked. "What?"

Sandy raised an eyebrow at her. "You're good at hiding things from everyone except me, Tooth. I saw you were upset the moment you walked in. You were with Jack at rehab, was it anything to do with that?"

Tooth sighed and plonked down in the chair beside Sandy's bed. "I don't know," she said miserably. "I thought it was going really well. But I said some things... I think I might have come off as clingy."

Sandy raised the other eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"Oh, that he was my friend.. even though I've known him for, like, a week. I wanted to make it clear I liked being with him, but I think I just came off as clingy."

"Oh, Tooth. Don't be silly. For starters, you _never_ come off as clingy. And telling someone you consider them a friend is never a bad thing, least of all clingy. Why on earth wouldn't he want to hear you wanted to be friends?"

"I don't know! Maybe he doesn't want to be friends! But if it was a good thing – I mean, afterwards, he got all quiet. When I left he didn't say goodbye. If he thought it was a good thing, why would he do that?"

"Are you sure it was because of what you said? What else happened?"

"Well, the doctors and the coach came back in. Oh, it was so funny.. kind of embarrassing, but funny. Nick said I should leave because Jack had to do some exercises that required him taking his clothes off."

As soon as she said it out loud, and Sandy doubled over in laughter, she realised what it sounded like, and Tooth burst into giggles. "Oh, wow!" she spluttered. "Not those kind of exercises. But yeah, then I left, and I said goodbye, but he didn't respond." She stopped laughing. "He didn't even acknowledge me, or look at me, or.. anything. I don't know."

Sandy was still softly chuckling. "Wow, poor guy," he said. "Okay. Are you sure he just wasn't completely mortified?"

Tooth cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but if a guy told me I needed to take my clothes off for exercises in front of a girl – let's _hypothetically_ say she's an attractive girl who he might have the hots for – I'd be humiliated. I'd want to sink into the ground and die. I sure as hell wouldn't want to look that girl in the eye for a little while. I might even have trouble talking to her after that."

Tooth frowned. "Where are you going with this?"

"Oh Tooth, don't be so obtuse," Sandy sighed. "What I'm saying is, poor Jack was probably embarrassed as all hell. You thought you were embarrassed, how do you think he felt! There he was, with a cute nice girl who'd just told him she wanted to be friends with him, and then the doctor walks in and ruins the moment. By embarrassing the everloving crap out of him, no less. No wonder he didn't talk to you or look at you – he was mortified!"

Tooth blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Sandy patted her hand. "He's a private kind of guy, from what I can make of him. He seems pretty shy. And considering the only visitors he's had at all were his family, his coach and you, he's probably not got that many friends either. He's probably pretty glad to be making friends with you. The last thing he'd want is to have doctors talking about him in a state of undress in front of a girl he's just starting to become friends with! He's probably afraid you think he's an idiot, more than anything else. He's certainly not gonna think you're clingy."

Tooth sighed and pulled Sandy into a hug. "Oh, Sandy. You always make things make sense. Thank you."

He smiled and patted her back. "No problem, kiddo. Just your local sense-maker at your service."

Tooth pulled away and sighed. "Oh Sandy, I don't even know why I'm so fussed about this. I was never so worried about just _making friends_ with someone before! It's ridiculous."

"It's because you like him," Sandy said. Tooth stared at him in surprise.  
"Oh, don't look at me like that," Sandy said. "I could tell from a mile away." He clasped his hands beside his cheek and made goo-goo eyes at her, smirking. "Toothie's got herself a cruuush!"

Tooth blushed furiously, clapping a hand over her mouth in horror. "Oh, gosh! Is it that obvious?!"

"Well, yeah. Weirdly enough though, it's obvious to anyone but him. Boy's as thick as a brick wall when it comes to you."

"Wait, so he doesn't know?"

Sandy glared at her. "What did I just say? He hasn't got a clue. You're lucky you decided to go for someone so dense. He couldn't figure it out if you jumped out of his birthday cake naked with "I love Jack Frost" spelled out across your decolletage in candy hearts. Oh, and with nipple pasties of his face. And snowflake balloons! Ooh, yes, I'm getting excited now! When's his birthday? I want this to happen!"

Tooth crossed her arms. "Okay, now you're just being mean," she said. He's not dumb. Also, you know I can't fit that many candy hearts on my boobs, and there is _no_ way I'm jumping out of any birthday cakes in any state of undress."

"Yes, I am. No, he's not. And while I've never tested this myself - so technically I _don't_ know if you can't fit that many candy hearts - I'm sure we could manage enough candy hearts if we really tried, and by god, if you won't do it then I'll do it myself, and I'm sure you want _me_ jumping out of his birthday cake naked even less. But either way, he's not gonna figure it out anytime soon, so you can rest easy."

Tooth sighed. "Okay. So you know I like him. What now?"

Sandy smirked. "Well, now I get to be your wingman. Duh. Oh man, I've always wanted to be someone's wingman."

Tooth shook her head firmly. "Oh, no, Sandy. Don't you dare."

"Hey, it's not like you can stop me, I'm rooming with the guy. And c'mon, it's gotta be better than jumping out of a cake covered in candy hearts, right?"

"Will you drop it with the candy hearts!"

Sandy smiled and held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, I guess I'm gonna have to put that plan on hold. But, yes, I reserve every right to act as your wingman in this situation. And besides, if it makes you feel any better, I get the feeling he's pretty sweet on you too."

Tooth felt her cheeks grow hot again. "What do you mean? You better not be just saying that to make me feel better."

"Of course not," Sandy said. "Look, I've been with the guy twenty-four seven for the past couple of days. Every time you walked into the room, his eyes would light up. And he'd get this sad puppy-eyed look when you left. Not to mention the look on his face every time you hugged him. You two were pretty cute in the movie."

"What? You were asleep!"

"Was I?" Sandy smiled mischievously. "I'll tell you now, he was blushing like an idiot."

Tooth groaned and buried her face in her hands. "_Sandy_. Stop."

Sandy smiled smugly and shrugged. "Okay then. I won't tell you about how he virtually sprinted out of the room this morning to see you."  
"Sandy!"  
"Toothie!"  
"Ugh. You're impossible."

Sandy smiled and patted her shoulder. "Well, then. Just throw me in a pair of cargo pants and call me Ron Stoppable."

Tooth rolled her eyes and smiled. Her smile started to fade as a question rose to her mind.  
"Sandy," she said, "Jack said your parents hadn't visited yet. Have they?"  
Sandy's smile disappeared, and his amber eyes darkened.

"No," he mumbled, and his voice was filled with resentment. A frown slash appeared between his eyebrows. "No, they haven't. But hey, would you expect anything less?"  
He laughed, but it was a short, humourless scoff. The sound made Tooth's chest ache.

She placed a hand over his clenched fist. Unlike Jack, Sandy's hands were nearly as small as hers, and her palm fitted neatly over the tight knuckles.  
"You know my door is always open," she said. "My mom loves you, you can come anytime you want if you need to."

Sandy didn't look at her, but he half-smiled. "I know. Thanks, Tooth. I guess I should be thankful they're at least paying the hospital fees."

"They don't _hate_ you, Sandy. They just.."

"Too busy. I know."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Maybe tomorrow. You never know."

He looked at her, meeting her eyes, and smiled. "Maybe. Hey, you know, you might actually enjoy this particular video game..."

Tooth groaned. "Sandy! Not this again! You know I can't play to save my life!"

Sandy chuckled and reached for the video game controllers. "Oh, have some faith in yourself, young grasshopper," he said teasingly, holding one out expectantly. "You're working with a master here. I got your loverboy handling Skyrim like a pro in no time, think of the wonders I could weave with you!"

Tooth sighed and took the controller from him. "Okay. But only because you're the master, apparently."

"Yes! You'd best believe it, young grasshopper."

"Stop calling me that."

"Oh c'mon, look at your hair, you're practically asking for it! I've been dying to use that nickname for ages!"

"Sandy. No. Do you want me to play this game?"

Sandy sighed in defeat. "Aw, you're no fun. The pain I suffer through with you!"

Tooth smiled and focused on the screen as Sandy started a new game. "Yeah, whatever. You gonna teach me how to play this game, or what?"

Sandy smirked and cracked his knuckles.  
"Teach you? I am going to mold you! Today dawns a new era, my friend," he said as he took the controller and the pair started playing.

* * *

The exercises hadn't been so bad, really. The self-consciousness wore off pretty quickly once Jack had started moving, and the three men had been mercifully indifferent to the fact that Jack was stripped down to his underwear.  
Eddy had made the obligatory dig to begin with ("Nice y-fronts, Frosty, the pink hearts are an interesting touch!"), which Jack of course retaliated to ("Hey, when I put these on it was with the assumption that they weren't gonna be seeing daylight! If the view offends you, I'm afraid you can only blame yourself, Cottontail").  
After that, Nick had instructed him to do some push-ups and sit-ups, and everything had continued uneventfully.

When they were finished, Nick called for a break. "It's about time we let Jackie replace the clothes," he'd said with a wry smile.  
It didn't take long for Jack to hastily pull his clothes back on. As he pulled his hoodie over his head, he was surprised by a tap on his shoulder.  
"Got a minute, Frosty?" Eddy asked. He looked oddly suspicious.

"Yeah, Ed, what is it?" Jack asked.

"How are you getting along with the girl? Tooth, that's her name?" Eddy asked. Jack remembered Eddy's raised eyebrows from earlier.

"We're getting along well. She's nice," he said. "We were just talking, Eddy. Nothing more than that."

"Promise?" Eddy asked. "You're not keeping anything from me, are you? I don't mind if you get involved with her, god knows you need a girlfriend –"

"Hey!"

"Oi, I'm just telling the truth. I just don't want you having secrets, that's all. I know your personal life isn't my business, but.. I worry about you, mate."

Eddy's face was set in a grim frown, but his eyes were filled with concern. Jack was all too familiar with the expression.

He tried to smile. "You don't need to worry," he said. "She's nice. And we're just friends."

Eddy sighed. "Okay, well I'll take your word for it. Just keep me posted. Can't let girlfriends distract you from the Olympics!"

He smirked mischievously as Jack frowned.  
"I already said, we're just friends!" he yelped.

"Sure, and I'm the Easter Bunny."

"Eddy!"

"Just pulling your leg, kiddo. I trust you." Eddy clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder and directed him back to Manny and Nick. "Now, lets get you back to training so I can properly kick your arse, Frosty!"

Jack smirked and nudged Eddy with his elbow. "Not a chance, Bunny!" he crowed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wew, this chapter came a lot easier than the last one. Hopefully I've kicked that wordblock for good!**  
**I think I might try to update every week - if I set myself a deadline, hopefully I won't have issues with updating really late like last time. Shall we make it every Thursday I'll try to update, for now? (Thursday my time - like, today right now is Thursday for me).**  
**Next week I probably won't update by then because I have a bunch of assessments due that I need to focus on, but hopefully it'll become a regular thing. We'll see!**  
**As always, thank you for your kind reviews and favourites, and feedback is very welcome! Thank you to those who helped me out with advice about skating and injuries, it's very much appreciated!**  
**Enough from me - I hope you enjoy the chapter! (and again, sorry if it ends pretty abruptly ;A;)**

* * *

The next day, Jack's entire body hurt. His body had already become disused to exercise, to the point where it was a struggle to make his way to the bathroom because of the burning ache in his upper body. He involuntarily let out a hiss as his underarms made contact with the top of his crutches, the muscles connecting his shoulders to his chest screaming in pain.

Sandy looked up from his game and raised an eyebrow. "You okay there, Jack?" he asked the wincing boy.

Jack shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just... not used to the activity, I guess."

Sandy twisted his mouth and nodded. "You give me a yell if you get stranded in there," he said, a slight note of humour in his voice. Jack tried to smile, and slowly made his way to the bathroom to shower.

He'd pushed himself too hard. He hadn't even done that much, yet somehow it had been too much.

_I can't even do a few pushups without paying for it the next day now._ Frustration bubbled up in his chest and he thumped his fist against the shower wall.  
He felt weak. Helpless. And he did not like it. It was a struggle even to lift his arms up long enough to wash his hair, which only vexed him further.

_I can't stand this._

As soon as he was out of the shower, he pulled a clean t-shirt and pair of shorts on, and left the room. He could feel Sandy's eyes on him as he left, but mercifully the boy said nothing.

He made his way to the gym as fast as he could force the crutches to take him. Every step hurt, but he gritted his teeth.  
_I'm not going to let this beat me. I can't._

He refused to look at the swimming pool, with the rehab patients struggling to just swim laps. _I won't end up like them._

He got to the gym room they'd used the day before and found, to his relief, that it was unlocked.  
He knew it was probably stupid to try and train unsupervised – he'd struggle with his leg, and he'd be in trouble if he hurt himself.  
But Eddy wasn't here today, and he was afraid that if he did ask Manny or North, they'd tell him not to train, they'd tell him to rest.  
_But I can't rest, I just can't. _

He set his crutches down and hopped over to the rack of dumbbells. He figured he might as well give his good leg a workout as well by hopping instead of using the crutches.

He picked up a pair of the heavier dumbbells and started lifting them. It hurt, but he gritted his teeth and continued. Soon, the burning of the exercise swallowed up the ache of his muscles.

After several reps and his arms were complaining, he hopped over to the rowing machine, locking his good foot into the footrest. His arms screamed at the activity, but he pressed on. _I just have to work through it. It won't get better if I don't push through it._

Fifteen minutes later, his upper body and good leg felt weak and jelly-like; Jack did not like this. He glanced over to the bench-press, the stack of weights next to it.  
But there was nobody there to spot for him – bench-pressing was dangerous without a partner.  
Jack ignored this issue. It went against everything he'd been taught about gym safety, but the last thing he wanted to do was to alert anyone else to the fact that he was here.  
He hopped over and set up the equipment, deciding to go for a slightly lighter load than he usually used, to allay the voice in his head shrieking about the danger of the whole exercise. Even with the lighter load, pain still stabbed through his arms and chest with every lift.  
Jack gritted his teeth.

_Just gotta work through it._

* * *

Sandy saw the door open. Part of him hoped it was Jack, but it was only Tooth, beaming as ever in her purple jacket. He was glad to see her, but it concerned him that the boy wasn't back yet. He'd looked pretty pissed when he'd left the room, and he'd been in gym gear. Sandy was afraid he'd gone back to the gym, and it worried him that he'd been gone for so long.

"Hey, Sandy!" Tooth said, pulling off the jacket to display today's jumper – a plain turquoise number with a lace panel at the back – and Sandy felt himself smile back. You couldn't help smiling around Tooth; her joy was infectious. Just having her in the room lifted the atmosphere tenfold.

"Hey, Tooth," he said, pausing the X-Box and turning to face her properly. "What's happening?"  
Tooth bounded over and pulled him into a hug. She always gave the best hugs.  
Sandy remembered being initially surprised by her physical closeness with everyone when he'd first met her; it was normal for her to hug everyone she knew, even kiss them on the cheek. Even when not greeting others, she had a tendency to touch the people around her nonetheless – straightening someone's collar, patting down a a stray lock of hair, fixing a smudge of makeup, resting a hand on someone's shoulder.  
Her familiarity had been alarming to Sandy at first – he wasn't accustomed to people touching him much at all, and Tooth's touchy-feely manner had initially been met with hostility on his part. He wasn't used to people invading his personal bubble.  
However, he'd eventually grown used to her fussing and hugging and touching, and now he found it endearing rather than annoying. It was just how she was. She was just oddly affectionate to the people she cared about.

For him, it had become comforting to have someone fuss over him the way she did. Tooth was naturally motherly, and as a boy who'd grown up feeling deprived of such mothering, he'd grown to appreciate her affection. She was like a best friend and a mom rolled into one.

"How's your day going?" Tooth asked, pulling away. "Just the usual? Still on Assassin's Creed, or have you moved onto something else?"

"Nope, I finished that pretty quickly after you helped me," Sandy said with a wry grin. "You're a natural, you know. I'm onto Bioshock now. Which I _don't_ think you'll want to play with me."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on that," Tooth said, grimacing at the screen. Sandy had just been in a particularly violent encounter with a Big Daddy before Tooth had walked in, and the frozen image on the screen was not pretty.

"And what are you doing here?" Sandy asked. "I didn't think you were volunteering today."

"No, I just wanted to see how you two were going," Tooth said. "My mom was gonna bring Baby later today, she hasn't shut up about coming to visit since she heard I knew Jack. Speaking of which, where is he?"

Sandy chewed his lip. "Good question," he said. Tooth's smile disappeared.  
"He was pretty sore this morning when he woke up, from yesterday," he said. "Nothing unusual, but.. it must have been unusual for him. He wasn't happy. He took a shower, than he ran off in his gym gear."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. I think he's gone to the gym."

"Unsupervised? How long has he been gone?"

"A while. A couple of hours."

"Oh, gosh." A frown line appeared between Tooth's eyebrows in worry. "I'm sorry, Sandy, but if he's been gone that long – I'd better see if I can find him. At least make sure he's not hurt himself."

"Oh, please do," Sandy replied. "I would have gone after him ages ago, if the nurse let me."

"Or if your high score wasn't at stake," Tooth said with a wry grin.

Sandy clapped a hand over his chest in mock horror. "You really believe I could be so heartless? Oh Tooth, you wound me!" he exclaimed, and the girl giggled. He smiled; he much preferred to see her with the smile on her face.

"Seriously, though," he said, "I did leave earlier to see if I could find him. But the nurse made me go back. I don't know how Jack got away with sneaking out, while I get put back to bed – I bet it's because I look like I should still be riding a bike with the training wheels on." He grimaced, and Tooth giggled again.

"I'll see you soon," she said, standing up and crossing the room to the door. "Hopefully I'll be back before long. See you later, Sandy!"

"See you!" Sandy called as the door closed behind her.  
He sighed and hit 'play' on the game, but he was struggling to focus. He hoped Jack was okay. Two hours seemed like a long time for a workout, even for an athlete like Jack. He hoped nothing had gone wrong.

He was also struck by how quickly Tooth took it upon herself to look for him. He couldn't tell if that was just her caring nature coming through, or the fact that the girl was clearly infatuated with him.

_She really cares about him, _he thought. He frowned as the Big Daddy landed a solid hit.  
_I really hope she doesn't get hurt._

* * *

When Tooth left the room, it struck her that she wasn't even sure which gym Jack had gone to. There were several gym rooms in the Rehab wing of the hospital, and he could be in any one of them.

_He only knows the gym we were in yesterday, _she reminded herself. _And even if he's hiding in a different room, well, I'll just have to check every room until I find him._

Part of her was annoyed that Jack would do something as foolish as try to work out without someone to keep an eye on him. The other part was worried. Two hours was a very long time for a workout – what if he had hurt himself?

She reached the gym room they'd been in yesterday and tried the door. It was open. She pushed it open and peered inside.

Jack was in there. A flutter of relief fanned in her stomach when she saw that he was alright – he was balancing on his good leg in front of a punching bag, dealing a routine of quick blows and punches.

She walked in, and the door closed with a click behind her. Jack stopped and turned, a surprised expression on his face.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Tooth replied. "I came to see you and Sandy, but you were gone. Sandy said you'd come here. Two hours ago."

Jack's jaw set, his expression becoming stony. He turned back to the punching bag. "I needed to do something that didn't involve sitting on my ass all day."

"For two hours? We were afraid you might have hurt yourself! You're gonna overdo it, Jack."

"No, I won't." The punches came faster, harder.

"Jack, stop."

"Yeah, in a second, I've got fifteen more to go –"

_"Stop."_

Tooth grabbed the punching bag, just as Jack landed another blow. The force of the hit nearly made Tooth fell over, but she held on stubbornly.  
"Tooth, what are you doing?!" Jack snapped. "Let go!"

"Jack, you've got to stop," Tooth said, letting go of the punching bag and stepping in front of it to put her hands on Jack's shoulders. He twisted out of her grip. She put her hands back, gripping the fabric of the t-shirt so he couldn't wriggle away.

"What is your problem?" Jack grumbled, taking her hands and pulling them off his shoulders.

"My problem is that you're pushing yourself way too hard way too early," Tooth snapped. "How many times have you accidentally had to balance on your bad leg, Jack? You shouldn't be standing up - you shouldn't be putting any weight on it at all, this whole 'oh I'll just balance on one leg yeah that'll work' thing is not going to make it heal any faster! And coming here on your own? Christ, Jack, you should know better than that! What if you hurt yourself?"  
She glanced around the gym to see what equipment Jack had been using, and her eyes rested on the bench-press. She saw that it had been used – there had been weights left on the bar where Jack had clearly forgotten to put them away, or intended to put them away later.  
She exploded.  
"You used the bench-press on your _own?!_ Are you out of your fucking mind, Jack?"  
She pulled her hands out of his and shook his shoulders, furious. "What in the hell were you _thinking?! _What if you'd dropped the weight? On your chest? Your _head?_"

"I know the risk of bench-pressing, Tooth," Jack growled. "I'm not stupid."

"If you know the risk, you also know why bench-pressing on your own is stupid, which makes you pretty goddamn thick to try it! If you want to get back on the ice so badly, why are you risking hurting yourself and prolonging your recovery time? If you dropped that weight on your head, you might not even skate again!"

"Will you quit lecturing me?!" Jack yelled. "I know, okay?! I fucking know! I'm not exactly a newbie to physical training, in case you hadn't noticed!"

"Well then stop acting like one! Why are you doing this, Jack?"

"Because I'm sick of feeling like I can't do anything!" Jack snapped. Tooth watched his cheeks turn red. "It's barely been a week and I'm already getting unfit. I haven't felt this unfit in years! I can't deteriorate any more, I just can't. Just – fuck this useless _leg!_ Tooth, you have no idea how frustrating it is, not being able to do things you've always been able to do.. it's a nightmare."

Tooth sighed, her anger fading. She was still fuming that Jack had been dumb enough to try bench-pressing without a spotter – you needed someone with you at all times, in case you lost your grip or slipped or struggled with the weight, which wasn't uncommon and very dangerous if you were lifting a heavy load – but she couldn't be angry at the boy for being upset.

"I have a pretty good idea," she said, letting go of Jack's shoulders.

Jack frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tooth sighed, debating with herself. Part of her wanted to say _"Oh, nothing, it's nothing"_ and move on, but another part of her very desperately wanted to keep going. Something in her wanted very much to tell Jack everything.

"I used to be a gymnast," Tooth finally said. She didn't know if it was time to tell Jack this – it was probably too early to dump something like this on him, but she just wanted him to know that she understood, he had to know that she wasn't just being sympathetic, she _knew_ what he was feeling.  
"Before I decided to be a dentist, I wanted to be in the Olympics. I still liked teeth and was interested in medicine, but I never thought I could make a career out of it – I was always going to be a competing gymnast. I was good, too, I think I could have made the Olympics, and I figured I'd have a better chance as a gymnast than as a dentist. I didn't think I was smart enough, or had the time to study, and considering I was constantly training at the time, that was probably true."  
She sighed. "But four years ago... I was in practice. I was on the balance beam and I fell. My leg hit the beam, and even though the beams are padded, the impact broke my fibula. It was such a shock, and it was only during warm-ups, it's not like I was in the middle of an intense performance or anything.  
"But when we talked to the doctors, they'd done a bunch of x-rays and it turned out there were hairline stress fractures all along my legs. I'd been pushing myself too hard, and the physical stress had damaged my leg bones – it was only a matter of time before one of the fractures broke completely, and that's what had happened. Because of that, I had to stay in hospital for months, and I wasn't allowed to do any exercise at all, unlike you. I was pretty much sedentary that whole time while my legs healed, and I hated it.  
"When I was finally allowed to get back into sport, I was surprised by how difficult it was to get back into shape. It was incredibly frustrating, and worse, I wasn't allowed to do any strenuous gymnastics because of the damage it was doing to me. I was stuck at an amateur level, I was doing the same stuff as the five-year-olds, and it sucked. In the end, I was getting so frustrated by it all that I just gave up. I wasn't having fun anymore; I couldn't enjoy it like I used to, so I stopped. I started focusing on school and work instead, and decided to focus on becoming a dentist. I didn't know what to do with all my time – I was used to training every free moment, so quitting gymnastics left me with a bunch of free time – so I started volunteering here. And I've been doing that ever since."  
She shrugged. "It's not the same, I was much younger when it happened, but I remember pretty well how frustrating it was. I know what you're going through." She placed her hand back on his shoulder, this time resting it gently. "It's tough, I know. But it'll get better, over time it'll get easier. You just have to be patient."

Jack looked shocked. "You never even got a chance to get back into gymnastics," he said quietly. "I'm really sorry, Tooth."

Tooth shrugged. "No need to be sorry," she said. "It's fine."

"But it was what you loved, and you couldn't even go back to doing it –"

"Oh, hush!" Tooth tapped his lips gently. The action made the boy twitch back in surprise. "If anything, it was a blessing in disguise. It got me into dentistry instead, and I'd much rather be doing what I'm doing now, looking back on things. Plus if I hadn't had the accident, I wouldn't have met you." She said this with a wry smile.

Jack's cheeks turned pink and he smiled back.

"Thanks, Tooth," he said. "It's.. good to have someone who gets it. And.. I'm sorry I worried you and Sandy, I just... I was really afraid."

"I know, and it's okay. But you don't need to be afraid, alright? Just be patient, you'll be back on the ice soon enough."

"I know... thanks. I really mean it."

"No problem," Tooth said. "Now how about we go back to the ward, before Sandy sends out a search party? He was really concerned when I saw him."

Jack chuckled. "Okay, we'll go put Sandy's mind at rest, then. I dread to think how his worry could have affected his gaming stats."

He tried to take a step, but winced and reached out to Tooth. She slipped under his arm and wrapped her arm around his back to help him up, though she was so short she didn't think it made much difference – her head barely made it to his chest, her cheek against the side of his pectoral. Her shoulders were too far down for him to lean on her. "You okay?" she asked.

"Just stiff. I should have warmed down properly." He smiled, but she heard the hiss as he inhaled sharply with the next hop. Tooth could feel the muscles around her were tight, far too tight. Taut and stiff. The fabric of the t-shirt was damp, but cold. "Stupid. I shouldn't have pushed so hard without warming down."

"You shouldn't have pushed so hard to begin with," she said sternly, tapping his back. "You probably strained your muscles. That's gonna hurt even more tomorrow."

"Probably. I feel better for having got some exercise, though."

Rather than try to lean on her, he instead gripped her shoulder to steady himself as he hopped. She helped him over to his crutches, but he shook his head. "My pecs are too stiff, it'll hurt."

She rolled her eyes, but picked up the crutches – gosh, they were taller than her – and slipped back under his arm nonetheless. "You sure? I'm way too short."

"You're okay. It's better than using the crutches."

Truth be told, Tooth didn't mind helping him back to the ward. They got a few funny looks, but Tooth liked being nestled against Jack. It was nice.  
It was similar to when she'd cuddled up to him in the film, but when that had happened, she'd initiated it. She'd spent the remaining part of the film after that agonising if it had been the right thing to do; what if Jack didn't want her so close? What if he'd just let her out of politeness? What if she'd annoyed him? But then he'd pulled his arm around her and she'd felt better.  
This time, though, it had been him who'd initiated it. He'd chosen to stay close with her rather than use the crutches, and as much as it was probably just because it was less painful, she still liked the fact that he'd chosen to have her close.

They made it back to the ward without any mishaps, and entered the room. Sandy looked up from his game with a start.  
"What on _earth_ happened to you?" he exclaimed, wide-eyed, as Tooth helped Jack limp into the room. Jack flopped gracelessly onto the bed with a sigh, wincing. Tooth rolled her eyes with a smile and perched on the still-rumpled sheets next to him.

"Iron Man over here thought it'd be a great idea to go as hard and fast as possible without warming up or warming down properly," Tooth explained. "Strained muscles, at a guess. Nothing permanent, but it's gonna hurt tomorrow."

"I'm fine," Jack sighed exasperatedly. "Nothing a cold shower won't fix!"

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "A _cold_ shower, eh? _That_ intense, huh?" he said. "Were there any _exercises_ you two _partnered up_ in that you won't tell me about, then?"

Jack completely missed Sandy's insinuation, mind still stuck in a training context. Tooth did not, and she doubled over, burying her giggles and red face into her arms. _"Sandy!"_

Jack stared at the two of them, still not grasping the joke.

"Sandy, aching muscles are caused by a build-up of lactic acid, and you take cold showers after a workout so that lactic acid doesn't build up in your muscles, so they don't hurt so much the next day," Tooth said. "_That_ is why Jack referred to a cold shower. He doesn't need one for... what you're suggesting!"  
Jack finally got it. His mouth dropped open and his fair face flushed beetroot. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Sandy smirked gleefully. "Oh, is that all it was?" he said innocently. "Well, then. Thanks for enlightening me."

"Even then, I don't think Jack should be taking a cold shower after today," Tooth said, babbling. She'd reverted to nurse-mode in her embarrassment, hoping that if she rambled on about medical concerns for long enough, Sandy's little innuendo would be forgotten. "Under normal circumstances, after a workout like today's, a cold shower would be perfect –" Sandy sniggered, and Tooth flushed again "– but it looks like Jack might have pulled some muscles, in which case he needs heat, not cold. So a warm shower would be better, Jack, not a cold one."

"Okay," Jack mumbled, still looking shell-shocked.

At that moment, the door swung open, and before she could turn to see who'd entered, Tooth felt a small weight barrel into her back, and a pair of slender arms tightened vice-like around her waist.

Tooth twisted to see who'd just attacked her, but she could feel herself already smiling as she knew who it was. "Hey, there, little Baby Tooth," she said at the mischievous face jammed against her shoulder.

Baby said nothing, simply pressing her face into Tooth's shoulder. Like Tooth, Baby's hair was cut short (though not dyed or spiked up) and she wore a yellow scarf and green jumper over blue jeans. Baby made every effort to emulate the appearance of her older sister, though she'd been forbidden to dye her hair or style it quite as outrageously as Tooth did.  
Today, however, she was unusually quiet, hiding her face in Tooth's sweater as if shy. Tooth got the distinct feeling that the uncharacteristic shyness was thanks to the boy sitting next to her. Indeed, Baby seemed to be making a pointed effort not to glance at Jack, and from what Tooth could see, the girl's caramel-coloured cheeks were oddly pink.

Tooth twisted to look behind her, and smiled at the sight of her mother, who smiled back.

Tooth's mother, Rashmi, was slender and small and bright-eyed in the way that her daughter was. Tooth knew that she looked like her mother; they could have been twins, but for the turquoise colour of Tooth's hair and the laugh lines and crows' feet Rashmi wore.  
She was wearing a big puffy navy jacket over a blue tunic dress over indigo trousers and yellow ballet flats. It was a plain outfit, and plenty might have called it dowdy, but Tooth thought that her mother managed to look almost regal in anything. She could have been wearing a garbage bag, or her pyjamas (blue t-shirt with a cheesy_ "I'm a princess!"_ slogan over baggy pants decorated with bunnies and rainbows), and Rashmi would still have looked like a queen.

She carried in her slim arms two huge tupperware containers – one filled with rice, the other filled with chicken curry. Rashmi never visited anyone without bringing plenty of food.

"Hello, Tooth, Sandy," Rashmi said brightly, setting the containers down and giving her daughter a hug from behind. Tooth breathed in the familiar smell of her mother as Rashmi's long braid tumbled down beside Tooth's head.

"Hi, Mom," Tooth said, and her mother responded with a quick peck on the cheek. Then she pulled away, sweeping around the bed to greet Sandy.

"How is your arm, Sandy? Am I allowed to give you a hug?" Rashmi asked, a wry smile on her face.

Sandy spread his arms out. "Good enough for a hug from you! Hi, Rashmi!"

Rashmi chuckled and wrapped her arms around the boy, ruffling his hair. "Good to hear! You had me awfully worried when Tooth told me about the accident. What were you doing, riding your bike on the icy roads? Silly boy!"

Sandy patted her shoulder. "I didn't know the roads were icy! And I'm fine now, aren't I? More or less."

"More or less is right! My hair turns ever more grey over you, child."

"You shouldn't worry, I'm fine."

"Oh, but I do. You're virtually one of my own now, it's my duty to worry about you." Rashmi planted a kiss on Sandy's forehead, who was smiling despite himself.

Rashmi turned to Jack, a wide smile on her face. "And who's this?" she asked, though it was clear in her eyes that she recognised the silver-haired boy. "You of course must be Jack! I'm Rashmi, Tooth's mother, and it's lovely to finally meet you, my dear." She didn't hug Jack, who looked as though he was worried she might, but she did clasp his hands tightly for a few moments. Her hands weren't much bigger than Tooth's, and struggled to wrap around Jack's.

Jack smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Tooth's told me a lot about you – and your cooking!" he said.

Rashmi chuckled. "My daughter exaggerates."

"No, she doesn't – she let me try some of your curry. It's certainly the best I've tasted!"

"Oh, thank you!" Rashmi beamed and whirled back around the room to pick up the tupperware containers. "In that case, I'm glad I brought this – are any of you hungry?"

"I think I can ignore the diet," Jack said, winking at Tooth. "Hungry? I'm famished!"

As Rashmi slipped out of the room to find some bowls and a microwave, Tooth nudged her little sister.

"Hey, Baby," she said, ruffling the little girl's hair. "Aren't you gonna say hi?"

Baby lifted her head, lips pressed together in a suppressed smile. Her eyes darted over to Jack for a second.

"Baby, this is Jack," Tooth said, gently prying her sister away. "Jack, meet my little sister. We call her Baby."

"Hi, Jack," Baby said with her head bent bashfully, in a tiny, high-pitched voice that could have come from a bird. "My _real_ name's Aashna. But everyone calls me Baby."

"Nice to meet you, Baby," Jack said, an amused smile on his face. He hunched down to her level to try and meet her eyes. "How come they call you Baby?"

Baby's head was still bowed, but she looked up and smiled bashfully. "Because I'm the baby," she said. "Sometimes everyone calls me 'Baby Tooth', too, because I look like Tooth." She nudged her older sister affectionately.

"You sure do look like Tooth," Jack observed. "How come you don't dye your hair too?"

"Because I'm not allowed," Baby explained. "I'm too young. I can't dye my hair 'til I'm sixteen. I'm dying it the same colour as Tooth's as soon as I'm allowed, though!" Her face took on a determined expression.

"How old are you now?"

"Ten."

"Huh, that's funny, you're the same age as my little sister," Jack said with a smile. Baby's eyes widened. "You have a little sister?"

"Yeah! Her name's Emma. Hey, Baby, do you like medical stuff like Tooth?"

"Yeah, duh! I help Tooth study." Baby sat up proudly. "I know all the high-school biology stuff really well now. I'm gonna be a dentist too, and I'm gonna work with Tooth."

"That's really interesting, because my little sister likes medical stuff too. She wants to be a nurse."

"No way!"

"Yeah way! I think you two would get along."

Baby's eyes were wide. "Does she skate too?"

Jack chuckled. "Not as much, I don't think she enjoys it as much as I do. But we like skating together, we have a lot of fun. Do you like skating?"

"I'm not very good, I fall over lots. Not like you."

"Aw, you can get better! It just takes practice."

"Will you help me? When your leg gets better?"

"Sure thing, kiddo. When I'm back on the ice, you, me and Emma can skate together. I have another friend your age, Jamie, and I think he'd like to skate with us too."

"What's Jamie like?"

"He's my coach's son, so he likes skating. I think you'll get along with him, too."

Baby's huge eyes – Jack noticed that one was violet, like Tooth's, but the other was an unusual bright blue – positively shone. "When can you skate again?" she asked excitedly.

Jack hesitated. "I'm not too sure," he said. "Not for a while. Four to six months, depending on how fast my leg heals up, and even then I can't do anything risky."

Baby looked dismayed, but she nodded. "I can wait," she said. "Four months isn't that long, right?"

"It'll give you something to look forward to," Tooth said, smoothing down an unruly strand of black hair on Baby's head. "Won't it?"

Baby nodded vigorously. "Yeah!" she said. "Like Christmas!"

Jack chuckled. "Well, I'll definitely be back on the ice before Christmas."

"Yay!" The little girl beamed brightly, sitting up properly to look down at Jack still hunched down on the bed. Jack laughed and straightened up, reaching out to ruffle Baby's hair.

"Tooth, I can't believe you've been keeping this little one from me all this time – it's positively criminal to hide away something as cute as this!" he exclaimed, flashing a quick wink at Tooth, who smiled wryly. Baby happily settled between the two and utterly basked in the attention.

Rashmi returned, carrying the tupperware containers, which were now steaming. Behind her a nurse – Jess, who was looking oddly flustered and whose blonde hair was escaping its bun – carried five bowls and some cutlery.

"Now, I really don't believe this is suitable for Jack – he's got his special meal that we'll be bringing soon, he has special dietary requirements –" Jess babbled, but Rashmi chuckled and shook her head.

"I already know about the diet, so I adjusted my recipe accordingly," she assured the nurse. "Besides, he's a teenager – a boy has to eat every once in a while! No protein bars for you today, my dear."

"Plus he got some exercise earlier today," Tooth added. "He probably worked out harder than yesterday in rehab, and he got a proper meal then. I think Mom's curry will be okay."

Jess sighed, defeated. "Well, alright," she said. "But I'll be recording this – and if Doctor Luna isn't happy, then it's on your heads!"

"If Doctor Luna has a problem with my curry, he can talk to me," Rashmi said. "Now, set those down there – ah, there we go. Thank you, Jess."

"No problem," Jess said, setting the bowls down on Jack's bedside table. She smoothed down the front of her uniform. "Now, I'll be in the nurse's station, so give me a yell when you're done and I'll take everything back to the cafeteria. _And_ I'll be taking down Rashmi's curry recipe and checking it with Doctor Luna." Jess tried unsuccessfully to look severe. Her pink cheeks, escaping hair and watery blue eyes spoiled the image somewhat. Tooth had to suppress a giggle.

After Jess left, Rashmi spooned out the rice and curry into the bowls, handing them around the room. Soon, everyone had a hot steaming bowl in their hands. Tooth looked at Jack, who was wearing an expression of pure bliss. He looked up and smiled at her, but his eyes widened and he brought his hand to his chin – the act of opening his mouth to smile had caused him to drool. Tooth laughed as he bashfully wiped his face.

Rashmi sat down at the foot of Sandy's bed with a bowl of her own, smiling. "Dig in, everyone!" she said, and the odd group of kids around her happily obliged.

"Top-notch as usual, Rashmi!" Sandy said, his bowl balanced on his knees so he didn't have to use his injured arm. Jack attempted a nod of agreement, unable to speak thanks to the way he shovelled the curry into his mouth.

Rashmi smiled contentedly at the two boys. She looked at her daughters and sighed. "Oh, my girls. I wonder if you even like my curry, the way you eat it rice grain by rice grain!"

"Mooom," Tooth groaned, and Baby giggled.

"It's just how we eat, Mom," Baby said. "We love your curry! Don't we, Tooth?"

"Of course we do," Tooth said, smiling at her mother. "Why wouldn't we like your curry?"

"I know, I know," Rashmi said with a chuckle. "Still – I certainly never taught you two to eat that way!"

"You sure?" Tooth asked, pointing out the delicate way Rashmi picked up small amounts on her fork.

Rashmi shook her head. "No! It must have been your father."

"Dad?! No way! He has worse manners than those two!" Tooth jabbed a thumb in Jack's direction.

Jack pouted. "Hey!" he managed to say around his fork.

Rashmi chuckled. "It remains a mystery, then," she said. "Oh, I didn't notice there was a television in here. What have you been watching, Sandy?"  
She turned to the television set, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"What _have_ you been watching, Sandy?" she said incredulously, staring at the paused screen – Sandy had still been playing Bioshock when Tooth and Sandy had returned, and he hadn't yet turned off the television set. An image of a menacing Big Daddy was frozen on the screen, and Rashmi did not look impressed.

Sandy smiled sheepishly. "Um. I can explain."


	7. Chapter 7

**So much for that one-update-per-week idea, hah! I really did try, but I got landed with a buttload of work from uni and I started a new job which has also taken up a good chunk of time. I'm sorry about that! I really do want to stick to the update-on-Thursdays idea though. I'll keep trying!  
Also, 49 reviews! This is a big deal for me 8D (I'll be honest, I was rather hoping someone would pop up and make it 50 before I updated - just to have a nice clean milestone - but no suck luck. Still, 49 is pretty much the same thing!) - thank you all so much for your kind words, feedback and encouragement! It makes my day every time I see a new review, and you bet I wouldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement, so thank you so much!  
**

**Also - I arted. Warning, it's a little bit fluffy but I thought y'all would find it amusing. Remember to remove the dashes! (The ones on either side of the periods, that is, not the ones between the _hey-look-i-made-a-thing_ part of the link. Also a space keeps appearing between 'e' and 'y' in '_hey_' so remember to get rid of that too. And this is all too hard so y'know what, just PM me if the link doesn't work!) _artisticmusings-.-tumblr-.-com/post/46837881148/he y-look-i-made-a-thing-i-was-just-doodling-and_**

**Oh, and do check out my other one-shot story about Jack and Mother Nature if you'd like! I'd appreciate it if you took the time to have a look at it :)**

**Many thanks from me, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

The next day, when Jack woke and heard the now-familiar tapping and clicking of Sandy's fingers on the game controller, he decided to stay in bed. Even still in bed, he could feel his muscles aching and knew that getting up would only make them worse. His shoulders felt particularly tender.  
_Tooth was right. I pushed way too hard yesterday. Today's gonna be a world of hurt._  
He smiled into his pillow._ But it was worth it. And it turned out okay in the end._

He mused on the remainder of the day before. After they'd eaten and chatted – Rashmi had been particularly curious about when Jack would be back on the ice – the sweet-natured mother had left, taking both her daughters with her.  
She'd pulled Jack into a warm hug by way of farewell. "I hope you heal up quickly, I'm looking forward to seeing you back on the ice," she'd said, smiling fondly. "Then I'll have a reason to watch the sports channel again!"  
Baby had also wrapped her little arms around him in a tight squeeze by way of farewell, grinning happily at him before darting back to her mother.

Rashmi turned to Tooth. "Do you want to come with us, hon? You'd be leaving earlier, but it'd save you the walk home."

Tooth smiled and nodded, standing up. "Yeah, that sounds good, actually. Thanks, Mom." She turned to Jack, her smile turning apologetic. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow, then," she said, bending to wrap her arms tightly around Jack.

Hugging Tooth no longer came as a shock to Jack anymore. It had grown wonderfully familiar, her tickling hair and minty scent and smallness a comfort, though he didn't think the frantic butterflies that fluttered in his stomach every time would go away soon. He hoped he wasn't gripping the knitted fabric of her sweater too tightly, the texture woolly-soft against his hands.

The hug did not last as long as it usually did, Tooth pulling away quickly. Her face was still apologetic, and she darted over to Sandy to give him a similarly quick hug.

"I'll see you two tomorrow!" she said, and the three females – woman, girl, child – had left the room.

Later, Jack's family had visited again. Emma had burst in with her usual impatience and barrelled into him, immediately exploding into chatter about school and friends and what Jack had been missing at home. His parents had slipped in soon after, sending him wry smiles by way of greeting, knowing they wouldn't get a word edgeways past their excited daughter.

And Jack had officially introduced Sandy.  
"Mom, Dad, Emma – this is my roommate, Sandy," he'd said. "Sandy, these are my parents, and my little sister Emma."

"Good to officially meet you," Sandy had said, pulling off his headphones and beaming. "I believe I was... otherwise occupied, the last time you visited. Nice to be conscious this time around!"

Emma, curious as ever, had scrambled off Jack's bed to inspect Sandy. Her eyes widened at his arm.

"You know you shouldn't be using that at all," she said sternly, drawing a smirk from Sandy.

"Hush, Emma, don't be rude," Jack's mother scolded. "Sorry, Sandy, she wants to be a nurse – and, well, you know kids."

"It's quite alright," Sandy said, still smiling. "And you're quite right Emma, I shouldn't be using my bad arm at all. Back in the sling it goes." He set down the controller and slid his arm back into the sling around his neck. He waggled the fingers poking out of the cast, and Emma smiled.

"Yeah, that's right! And that way it'll heal way faster!"

"Of course, I should have known! Thank you for sorting me out, Emma."

"That's okay!"

Jack's mother chuckled and sat down. "I get the impression that those two are gonna get along well," she said softly. "Poor Sandy won't be able to play his video games as long as she's around, though."

Jack's father also took a seat, smirking. "Oh, look at them. At this rate, I don't think he'll mind too badly."

Emma seemed enraptured with the small golden-haired boy, and in turn, Sandy looked delighted at the attention she paid to him. Jack smiled. At the very least, he was glad it didn't feel awkward.

His mother reached out a hand to ruffle his hair. "And how's my boy?" she asked. "We don't seem to get much of a chance to talk to you when we visit!"

"I'm alright," Jack said. "Me and Sandy get on well, and the nurses are nice. I started rehab yesterday, so it's good to be moving again."

"How did it go? I wish we'd been able to be there," Jack's father said. A small frown line had appeared between his eyes. Jack wished he wouldn't feel guilty – his parents worked full-time, they wouldn't have been able to come. He knew that, and he didn't blame them. But his parents wore apologetic expressions all the same.

"It was good," Jack replied. "Mainly just basic upper-body stuff, they didn't want me doing anything that might strain my leg. Eddy was there, and.. one of the volunteers. A nice girl, Tooth. She knows Sandy, and visits him a lot, and.. I think we've become friends."

His mother smiled. "Oh? What's she like?"

"Well, she's really friendly. Bubbly and talks a lot. She wears lots of bright colours. And she always brings food – her mom's Indian, so she brings a lot of curry. I think you'd like her."

"She's my best friend and she's awesome!" Sandy called out from across the room. Jack's parents chuckled.

"In that case, I hope we get to meet her soon," Jack's father said, a twinkle appearing in his eye. "She sounds lovely."

"What's 'Bioshock'?" Jack heard Emma ask. He saw his parents wince.

"On that note, I think it's time we got home," his mother said with a wry smile. "Come on, Emma, time to go! Stop badgering Sandy."  
She pulled her son into a quick hug, planting a kiss on his forehead. "You take care, hon. We'll see you soon."

"Until next time, kiddo," his father said as she pulled away, also giving him a hug. "You take care, alright? And don't go too crazy with the rehab. I know you, son, I know you wanna get back in shape, but you've got to take it easy, alright?"

Jack smiled into his father's shirt. His parents knew him too well. "Okay," he said. "See you soon."

"Bye, Jack!" Emma said, bounding back into Jack's lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, missing the little bundle of dark hair and worried brown eyes already.

"You take care, alright? And don't stress over that English test," he said, ruffling her hair.

She wrinkled her nose. "I won't," she said. "I'll try not to."

"You do that, kiddo. Take care. See you soon, alright?"

"Okay. See you soon!"

There were no tears this time, not like the first time; Emma seemed to have adjusted. This time, she smiled as she was shepherded out the door, big brown eyes looking ever back, searching for Jack's until the door fell shut and she disappeared.

As the door closed, Jack found that he didn't know if he felt glad or unhappy that she hadn't been upset.

"You've got a really sweet family," Sandy had said, a small smile on his face. There was something uncharacteristically wistful about it. Jack remembered that he hadn't ever seen Sandy's parents visit, and felt horribly awkward.

"Thanks," he said. He wasn't sure what else to say.

Sandy caught his eye and raised his eyebrows in a friendly gesture, before slipping his arm out of his sling to pick up the game controller. Within moments, he was absorbed into the game, small pink tongue poking out of his lips in an expression of intent concentration.

As he came to the end of the memory, Jack cracked open his eyes slightly to glance at the clock. It was late morning, nearly eleven. _Guess I might as well get up,_ he decided. _No use sleeping the day away._

Sandy looked over as Jack crawled out of bed, wincing with every painful movement. The smaller boy grimaced. "You alright there?"  
"Yeah, I'm okay," Jack said through gritted teeth. Wow, he _had_ pushed it too hard the day before. Even sitting up was painful – the action had sent spikes of pain lancing through his abs and pecs, and his shoulders throbbed.  
Let alone reaching for his crutches and hobbling to the bathroom. It was worse than the day before, especially since his pecs were particularly strained. The tender muscles screamed at the touch of the crutches. _Oh man. If only Tooth was here right now_.

"You sure you don't want any help? Maybe I could ask the nurses for a heat pack for later?"  
Sandy had put down the controller and slid out of bed, and Jack could see him padding towards him. The boy put a hand on his arm, but he was shorter than Tooth – he couldn't help Jack walk. The expression on Sandy's face was uncharacteristically sympathetic.

Jack smiled at him. "A heat pack might be good, actually," he admitted. "I'll be okay for now, though. Thanks, Sandy."

"No problem, I'll ask the nurse for one. Man, you really overdid it, Jack."

"I know, I know."

"Remember what Tooth said about having a warm shower. To help your muscles."

"I remember, Nurse Sandy."

"Oh, excuse me for being a decent human being!" Sandy made a face, and Jack laughed.

"Seriously though, thanks," Jack said, once his laughter had subsided. "And I'll be okay. Just a heatpack will be fine. Or two."

"One for each shoulder, hah!" Sandy smirked. "Okay, I'll go ask the nurse now. Have a nice shower, loverboy."

Sandy skipped out of the room before Jack could reply. He stared at the door as it swung shut. "Loverboy? Of all nicknames, really?" he asked nobody in particular, shaking his head as he limped his way into the bathroom.

Sandy, however, was true to his word. As Jack limped out of the bathroom, showered and clean but still sore, the imp-faced boy held up three steaming wheat packs. "Am I an awesome roomie, or am I an awesome roomie?" he declared as Jack hobbled back to bed. "Now quick, grab these, they're burning my hands!"

Jack smiled and took them from Sandy's outstretched hands. "Thanks, man," he said, throwing one over each shoulder, and the third one around his neck. The relief was immediate – heat seeped through his shirt, burning his skin but soothing the muscles beneath. He leant back with a sigh, careful not to disturb the packs. "Wow, that's good. I owe you one, Sandy."

"You owe me a _lot_, loverboy," Sandy said, winking and picking up his controller.

"Wh-what do you even mean by that?!" Jack exclaimed, annoyed by the cryptic nature of the comment and the stupid nickname. Sandy smiled and adjusted the headphones over his ears. "Sandy? Hey! Sandy!"

"What was that?" Sandy called, his voice mockingly loud. "Can't hear you above this game, loverboy! The sound effects are amazing!"  
Jack sighed in exasperation and shuffled down into the pillows. Okay, so Sandy could be a good roommate. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from being an almighty pain at times.

The door opened. Jack jumped, heart suddenly thudding, expecting to see Tooth's familiar head of turquoise tufts popping through the door. But the head that poked out was not Tooth's – it was Jess's.

"Sandy?" she called, but Sandy was engrossed in his game. She looked pleadingly at Jack.  
Jack nodded, and hopped out of bed to reach over and tug off Sandy's headphones. The boy let out a cry of protest. "Jack, _no_, I'm _not_ explaining the nickname –" He noticed Jess, and stared, confused.

"You've got visitors," Jess said, a smile spreading over her face. "I thought I'd give you some warning before they came in!"

"Visitors?" Sandy repeated, and the emotions that flashed across his face seemed out of place on his features. Jack had never seen the boy, usually so self-assured and confident, look so very anxious, and the unfamiliar expression unsettled him.  
His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. His forehead was creased between his golden eyebrows.  
Sandy looked almost afraid.

"Yes," Jess said, blue eyes wide in a fixed smile. She was usually cheerful, but her expression seemed to be begging Sandy to cheer up. "Your parents! They're really looking forward to seeing you, hun. I think they've been quite worried."

"I'm sure they have," Sandy whispered – Jack barely heard it.

Jess must have missed it, for she beamed and backed out of the doorway. "I'll give you a moment, they'll be in soon. Jack, can I have a word?"

Jack didn't know why Jess wanted to talk to him, but he didn't think he wanted to be in the room when Sandy's parents walked in. Unlike with his family and Sandy, he felt pretty sure that with him in the room, it'd just be awkward. He nodded and hastily grabbed his crutches, hobbling across the room. As he reached the door, he turned to glance at Sandy.  
Sandy still looked shell-shocked. Jack tried to smile at him. He grinned widely, though he wasn't entirely sure of himself.

"It'll be fine, Sandy," he said. "I hope I get to meet them later. Tell them I said hi, okay?"

Sandy smiled back. It was half-hearted, but it was still a smile. "Sure thing, loverboy. See you soon."

Jess gave him a funny look as Jack closed the door behind him. "Loverboy..?" she queried, and Jack shook his head.

"Honestly? I don't know either," he said, and Jess smirked. "That kid," she said, shaking her head.

Jack noticed a couple standing in front of the nurse's desk in the corridor. A middle-aged pair, a man and woman. The woman was tiny and round-figured, with bouncy golden hair streaked with silver, and her white-haired partner didn't stand much taller over her. They were both dressed in business clothes, the man in a dark suit, and the woman in a blazer and pencil skirt. The woman turned and caught Jack's eye. Her eyes were the colour of steel, and her gaze was severe. A line slashed her forehead between her brows in a permanent frown, and her lips were pressed together.

The man also turned, and Jack recognised the set of Sandy's features in the man's face. His eyes were the same amber colour as Sandy's, and they followed him with the same odd curiosity.

The woman softly muttered something, and the pair turned away.  
"Are those..?" Jack began, and Jess nodded.

"I got you out of there because I think they probably need some private time with their son," she said apologetically. "Sorry, that's all it was. I mean, they haven't visited Sandy since he arrived, and I think it's just best if we leave them alone."

"No, I get that," Jack said, still staring at the backs of the couple. It baffled him that in some ways they resembled their son so strongly – the apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree – and yet they seemed so _different_ from him. They were so somber, serious in their dark business suits. Not like their video-game playing son who cracked jokes and bounded around in a yellow nightgown.

He hoped it would go okay.  
Jess still looked guilty at having dragged Jack out of the room for no reason. "Is there anything you can do while they're in there?" she asked. "Maybe go for a walk, or..? I'm so sorry, Jack, I didn't plan that out particularly well!"

"It's fine," Jack said, smiling at her. "I think I'll go for a walk, actually. A bit of exercise would be good. When do you think I should be getting back?"

Relief immediately swept over Jess's face. "Oh, that sounds good! I'll tell you what, come back in an hour and I'll let you know if it's safe to go back in. That okay?"

"That sounds perfect," Jack said. "Good luck with Sandy's parents, okay?"

"Thanks, I think I'll need it!" Jess giggled, the sound ending on a slightly hysterical note. "I hope your walk goes well."

"Thanks," Jack said, and with a last smile – Jess looked like she needed it – he hopped away. _I'll just go back to that garden, easy. Chill there for a while. Shouldn't be a big deal._

He allowed the smile on his face to slide, relaxing his face. He didn't really feel like smiling – not after seeing Sandy's dour-faced parents. Poor kid. _I just hope everything goes well in there. _

He managed to find the garden again – it took a couple of wrong turns and backtracking, but he got there in the end. He began to smile again at the sight of the little shrubs and trees, the little wooden bench where Tooth had wrapped her scarf around his neck. _Damn, I still need to give that back to her._

He sat on the bench with a sigh, setting the crutches on the ground by his feet. He'd forgotten to wear shoes again, and today really was cold. He stared down at his feet – or, rather, a foot next to a white cast with toes wriggling out the bottom.

It was cold, but he'd still rather be outside. The bracing air felt alive and invigorating in his lungs, not like the warm disinfected air of the hospital. It was nice to smell roses and grass instead of air freshener and chemical cleaners. Someone must have cut the grass recently, because the sharp green smell still hung in the air.

It felt like it had been eons since he'd last been outdoors, though it couldn't have been more than a couple of days ago. He wasn't used to being stuck indoors.

"Jack Ferguson! How did I know I'd find you out here?"  
Jack turned to the door and felt his heart leap when he saw Tooth leaning out of the doorway, a wry grin on her face. Gosh, her teeth were white.

Her smile turned into a frown and she bounded out into the garden. "And you're not wearing shoes again! What did I tell you last time about hypothermia? Look at you!"

Jack smirked as she pulled off another scarf – this time it was blue – and knotted it around his neck. "Yes, Mom," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

She slid one arm out of her jacket and draped it around Jack as she sat beside him, so the jacket rested over both their shoulders. Jack automatically slid his arm around Tooth's shoulders, and his heart fluttered as she shuffled into his side. She fitted there quite nicely, he thought.

"You really should have brought a coat," she scolded him as the two huddled under her jacket. "Or shoes... or at least socks! Especially since we've been banished from the ward for the time being."

"Did you go in there?" Jack asked, and Tooth shook her head.

"The nurse stopped me," she said. "Jess, she told me Sandy's parents were visiting. She also said you'd gone for a walk, so I figured you might have come here – did you meet his parents?"

Jack shook his own head. "No, I was kicked out before they came in. I saw them, though. Do you know them?"

Tooth nodded, biting her lip. "I've met them. They're not much like Sandy," she said. "His dad's an accountant and his mom's a lawyer, if that tells you anything. His dad's okay, but his mom, she's _scary_. She wins nearly all her cases and you can kinda see why. Sandy looks like them, you can tell he's their kid, but that's where the similarities end. They don't understand him very well, and sometimes I wonder if they even try to."

"And this is the first time they've visited."

Tooth sighed. "I don't think it's not for lack of caring," she said. "I mean.. they're not very good at showing it, but they care. But they're just so busy, all the time. I think his mom was in the middle of a big case when he had the accident, and she definitely wouldn't have been able to see him while she was dealing with that."

"So they're workaholics?"

"Kinda. So you can imagine it probably frustrates them that Sandy doesn't seem to have figured out what he wants to do yet. They want him to be successful like they are."

Jack frowned. "It still seems off that they couldn't have at least taken some time off work to see their son in hospital."

Tooth twisted her mouth. "Yeah," she agreed. "But some people... people have different priorities, you know? And for many people with families, their biggest priority is kids, and everything else is secondary to that. For other people, their priority is work, and everything – even their children – comes secondary to that. Sandy's parents are like that. It's not that they don't love Sandy, or care for him, it's just that... work is their priority."

"That's messed up."

"To you and me it is. But it's happening more and more, more parents are valuing their work over family. And to them it's not messed up, it's normal."

Jack let out a little huff – he still didn't think it was right. Tooth smiled and nudged him gently with her elbow. "Hey. Don't worry about it, okay? It'll be fine. They look scary, but they probably lost their cool and went all embarrassing and emotional as soon as they walked into the ward. They're probably fussing over Sandy right now. And you know what they say, better late than never!"

Jack sighed. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."

"Good." Tooth snuggled down and rested her head on Jack's shoulder. He felt his cheeks grow hot and suppressed a smile as her hair tickled his neck. "Gosh, it's so _cold,_" she said.

He gave her a quick squeeze with his arm. "Oh, it's not too bad. It's not even winter yet, wait until the weather really kicks in!"

"Ugh, don't tell me. I hate the cold. You don't even seem to feel it!"

Jack smirked mischievously and shifted to place both hands on Tooth's cheeks. She shrieked and slapped them away. "Jack, stop! They're _freezing!_"

"You know what they say - cold hands, warm heart," Jack said teasingly as Tooth shivered and placed her own hands on her face.

"That was just mean," she said, pouting. "Ugh, your hands are so cold! What, do you soak them in ice water or something?"

"Only the finest ice water from the wilds of Siberia," Jack joked, waggling his fingers at her.

"So if cold hands means warm heart, what does warm hands mean?" Tooth asked, and rested her palms on Jack's cheeks. They radiated heat into his skin, despite the fact that his face already felt hot. He wondered if she could feel his cheeks burning.

"Warmer heart?" Jack suggested, and Tooth giggled.

She didn't take her hands away, letting them rest on his face, cupping his cheeks. They still seemed tiny to Jack. Gosh, she was so close. Jack's heart pounded and he swallowed. Tooth's eyes were huge, and her cheeks were pink again.

"Well, if it isn't Jack Frost! What an interesting surprise. Good to see you're obviously _enjoying_ your stay in hospital."

Jack recognised the gloating drawl with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Tooth's hands darted away from his face and she leaned back, a look of startled alarm on her face.

He turned his head, and standing in front of the bench, wearing a long black coat and a smug smirk, was his fellow competitor and rival Cosmo Pitchiner. Better known by his stage name, Pitch Black.

"Good to see you too, Pitch," Jack said. His voice came out sharper than he'd expected. "What are you doing here?"

Pitch stood back, grinning widely in a way that reminded Jack strongly of a shark. "Visiting fans, volunteer charity work – what else would I be here for? Just doing my bit for the community. Not to mention it's great publicity. And I need all the publicity I can get, what with the Olympic tryouts coming up soon. Don't want the crowds to forget what name to chant when I walk with the Olympic team in the Opening Ceremony, do I?"

The words stabbed sharply into Jack's stomach, like knives. He heard Tooth utter a tiny squeak of indignation.

_Don't take the bait. He's trying to wind you up. Don't lose your cool._

Pitch's eyes widened in mock surprise and he placed his hands over his mouth dramatically. "Oh! What a silly slip of the tongue, I should have known that'd be a sore topic for you. My apologies, I suppose I should have been more sensitive." His eyes narrowed and he smirked. "But there's no need to feel too bad, my friend. I'll be sure to dedicate my gold-medal-winning performance to you."  
He threw back his head and laughed.

Jack clenched his fists, struggling to control his fury. Pitch's smug expression was simply begging for his fist to knock it off the athlete's face.

However, it was not Jack who reacted.

Tooth bounded off the bench, jacket flying off her shoulders as she marched right up to Pitch, drawing herself up to her full diminutive height to release her rage.

"_How dare you!_" she screeched, right into Pitch's face. Pitch's smirk dropped to give way to genuine surprise. Jack couldn't see Tooth's face, but he could see her turquoise hair quivering with rage, her tiny hands balled into tight fists. She was livid.

"How _dare_ you waltz in here, with your fancy jacket and hair and bullshit stories about helping people when you don't give two shits about anyone except yourself, just to show off and inflate your ego! Volunteering and meeting fans, what crap! We all know you just came here to make Jack feel shitty, don't think for a second I'm fooled! Well you know what, if Jack hadn't had his accident, there'd be no chance at the Olympics for you! You know, you're not nearly as good a skater as you think you are – I've seen you perform, and to be quite honest, Jack makes you look like a five-year-old with balance issues! There's no way the selectors would pick you for the Olympic team over Jack, and you know it! That's why you're here – you're happy he got injured, because it means you can have a shot at the big time! Well you know what, when Jack gets back on the ice, he'll be kicking your butt, and you won't be able to do a thing about it!"

Pitch's expression of surprise slowly gave way to one of fury. It wasn't difficult to guess what was going through his mind in that moment. She was insulting him, and worse, she was right. Pitch's ego was taking a battering from this tiny turquoise-haired girl. The anger that slid over the young man's face alarmed Jack. "Tooth," he hissed, but she was on a roll.

"Pompous jerk, you're a coward!" she continued shrilly. "Coming here and gloating when you know he can't do anything about it – would you have the guts if he didn't have a broken leg? You're pathetic!"

"Tooth!" Jack exclaimed, and she stopped, drawing in a deep, shaky breath. She didn't move, standing arms akimbo in front of Pitch, who towered over her with hands clenched into fists.

_Oh god, what if he hits her? _Jack scrabbled for his crutches and scrambled to his feet. To his dismay, the cold had aggravated his strained muscles and he found he couldn't settle on the crutches properly.

Pitch didn't hit Tooth, though for a moment his fist look raised to strike. "Don't flatter yourself," he snarled. "You want to talk about inflated egos, just look at the way you jumped to the conclusion that I'd be here for _him_. Not everything revolves around _Jack Frost,_ you know. What was your name, little girl? Tooth? Interesting handle. You're cute, so I'll warn you now – you're going to regret this."

"Ooh, I'm _scared,_" Tooth mocked. "You're a real boogeyman, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," Pitch growled, and swept away, striding through the door into the hospital.

Tooth didn't move, breathing hard. Her fists were still clenched.  
"Tooth?" Jack asked. Tooth whirled around to face him.

"Christ, Jack, he's an asshole! How did you stand him?!" she exclaimed. "He was bad enough on t.v, I didn't think he could be worse in person!"

Jack couldn't help but smile. Her indignant expression was endlessly endearing. "Thanks, Tooth," he said, reaching out with one arm to pull her into a hug. She still frowned, but settled against him nonetheless.

"I appreciate it, but you shouldn't have aggravated him," Jack said. "He's not a nice guy."

"I don't care if I aggravated him, he started it!" Tooth exclaimed. "Waltzing up and showing off, the nerve of him! I wish I'd punched him."

"I'm glad you didn't," Jack said darkly. "You should have just let him go."

"No! No way was I gonna let him walk off all pompous and full of himself. He needed to be taken down a peg."

"He did, but Tooth, I'm not kidding when I say he's not a good guy to piss off."

"Do you think I care?" Tooth pulled away from him, staring at him with an affronted glare. "And stop lecturing me! I thought you'd appreciate it! I go to defend you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"I do appreciate it!" Jack exclaimed, but Tooth had already turned and was marching back into the hospital. He sighed and turned back to the bench to pick up her abandoned purple jacket, then began to follow her. His upper-body muscles protested sharply, and he winced with each step as he hobbled after her on his crutches.  
"Tooth, wait! Tooth! _Tooth._"

He ambled along as quickly as he could, ignoring the pain in his shoulders, and he started to catch up. Tooth just walked faster.  
"Tooth, please!"  
In his haste, he didn't notice his right crutch as it snagged on the corner of a janitor's trolley. He lurched forward as it dragged, and overbalanced. As he fell, he dimly remembered to land on his good side, and he hit the carpet hard, taking the trolley down with him.

The fall knocked the wind out of him, and the trolley crashed as it toppled over, sending bottles of cleaning fluid and disinfectant everywhere. Jack winced as a roll of paper bounced off his head. _Wow. Way to make a spectacle, Jack._

Tooth whirled around at the crash, eyes widening. "Jack!" she yelped, running back and dropping to the carpet beside him. Jack felt the warmth of her arms as she lifted him into a sitting position. "Are you okay? Your leg!"

"My leg's fine," Jack said. He held out her jacket, and Tooth took it slowly, her mouth falling slightly open in a surprised gesture. "Sorry, I'll fix this all up..."

"No, I'm sorry," Tooth said. Her previously obstinate expression had now changed to a penitent one, her eyes huge as she chewed her lip anxiously. "Oh, Jack.. I'm an idiot."

"No you're not," Jack said, bopping his forehead gently against hers. "I really did appreciate it. The look on his face when you called Pitch a pompous jerk was priceless."

Tooth stifled a giggle. "Oh, but I should have listened... and running off was stupid. I forgot about your crutches."

"Tooth, it's fine. I'm okay. The only real victim in this situation is the janitor."

Tooth couldn't suppress her laughter this time. "I guess we'd better clean this up, huh?"

Fortunately, nothing had spilled, so it was a simple matter of lifting the trolley back up and putting everything back into it. Luckily they tidied it up before the janitor appeared.

Tooth helped Jack up, and picked up his crutches. She stared at him, still chewing her lip anxiously. "Thanks for picking up my jacket," she said ruefully. "I forgot all about it... thank you."

"It's fine," Jack said, smiling. He wished she wouldn't look so guilty. The expression on her face tugged at his heartstrings pitifully. He wanted her to smile again.

He tried to balance on his crutches again, but just resting the foam cushions under his arms made his muscles twinge painfully. He tried not to show the pain, but he must have winced, because Tooth took the crutch from under his left arm and slipped under his shoulder to support him.

"Your muscles still giving you grief?" she asked as they hobbled up the corridor.

Jack nodded. "You were right," he admitted. "They're worse today. Not much I can do about it, though."

Tooth shook her head, tutting. "And you went all the way to the gardens! Couldn't you have just sat in the nurse's station or something?"

"Chilling in the nurse's station? How boring! Be honest, you would have preferred to push yourself to go somewhere nice to relax for an hour, than sat like an office accessory in the nurse's station twiddling your thumbs."

"Okay, I see your point. Still, you've been pushing yourself way too hard lately. I feel like a CD stuck on repeat, the number of times I've said that!"

Jack laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll try to take it easier from now on, alright?"

Tooth smiled contentedly. "Alright. We still have a while to kill, do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Nah. I don't really want to run the risk of bumping into Pitch again. Why don't we just wait outside in the corridor?"

Tooth snorted. "And barely a minute ago you said you thought waiting in the nurse's station would be too boring!"

"That was when I knew I'd be waiting by myself. It'll be much less boring if I've got you to wait with me." Jack flashed a wide grin, and Tooth's cheeks coloured.

They passed the nurse's station just as Jess walked out. She stopped to gape at the pair. "Jack! Why aren't you using your crutches?" she exclaimed, looking ready to scold the teenager.

Jack grinned sheepishly, and Tooth quickly jumped to his defense. "He strained his shoulder muscles the day before doing exercises," she explained. "The crutches are just painful at the moment. But we're managing okay, I promise!"

Jess sighed and shook her head. "Well, I can trust _you,_ Tooth," she said. "And Jack, what on earth kind of exercises were you doing that you hurt your muscles? Silly boy."

"Hey, at least you know I'm dedicated!" Jack piped up, and Jess smirked.

"Alright," she said. "Well, Sandy's parents are just about to leave, so I think it's safe for you to go back to your ward now. Then I don't have to worry about you hopping around without crutches!"

"Thanks, Jess. Do you know how it went?" Tooth asked.

Jess shrugged. "I haven't heard anything from the ward," she said. "I assume that's a good thing. But to be honest, I don't know. Sorry, Tooth."

"That's okay, and thank you!" Tooth said with a bright smile. "I guess we'll see you around."

"Sure thing, I'll see you two later," Jess said, beaming. She adjusted her clipboard and trotted away, blonde ponytail bouncing as she walked. She always seemed busy.

Tooth helped Jack limp to the door of the ward, and pushed open the door a crack. Soft voices could be heard as she slowly opened the door.

Three faces looked up as the pair entered the room, Jack still leaning heavily on Tooth. He tried to smile at the unfamiliar faces of Sandy's parents. His mother's gaze seemed almost accusing.

"Hi, Mrs Hawkins! Mr Hawkins!" Tooth called out with a cheery smile. "How are you two?"

"Hey, Tooth," Mr Hawkins said with a small smile. Mrs Hawkins nodded by way of greeting.

"Mom, Dad, that's my roommate, Jack," Sandy said. Jack strained to see Sandy – he was hard to see past the sitting figures of his parents, but from what Jack could see, he no longer looked anxious. His face was relaxed again.

"Hi, Mr and Mrs Hawkins," Jack said, levering himself onto his bed. Tooth quickly vaulted over to sit beside him.

"Hi, Jack, nice to meet you," Mr Hawkins said brightly. "Sandy was just telling us about you. We were sorry to hear about the accident."  
"Nice to meet you too," Jack said. "And it's okay. I'll be back on the ice eventually."

"I suppose we'd better get going," Mrs Hawkins said. Where her husband was polite and amiable, Mrs Hawkins spoke in short, sharp sentences that were to the point.

Sandy nodded, and his face fell slightly. "Yeah, didn't you have a meeting later?" he asked.

Mrs Hawkins turned back to her son and nodded. "They're putting me straight on another case, and apparently it's another big one."

"And I really can't be gone from the office too long if I want a shot at that promotion," Mr Hawkins said apologetically. "Sorry, kiddo. We'd have loved to stay longer, we've missed you."

Sandy nodded. "This promotion means you'll be at work less, yeah?"

"That's right," Mr Hawkins said. "Which is why I want to get it. Less time at the office, more time with my boy! Who wouldn't jump at that chance?"

Sandy smiled. "That.. would be nice. I hope you get it."

"I hope I get it too, son. Then I can visit more. Hopefully your mom will be less busy with this case, so she can visit more too."

"I told Stuart, no more time-consuming cases until you're out of hospital. I feel bad enough that we had to leave so soon after you got here, you hadn't even woken up..."

"It's okay, Mom. Just get that case wrapped up, yeah?"

"I'll try." Mrs Hawkins moved from her chair and sat on the bed to wrap Sandy into a tight hug. Jack caught a glimpse of her face, and her expression was still severe, but there was something about the way her mouth turned downward at the corners that made him wonder if the fierce expression was hiding something else. Her eyes were very shiny. It reminded Jack of Eddy a bit.

Mrs Hawkins released Sandy, and Mr Hawkins leaned in to hug his son as well.

"See you later, Dad, Mom," Sandy said in a small voice as his parents stood to leave.

"We'll be back soon, we promise," Mr Hawkins said. "You take care now, alright? Give us a call if you need anything."  
"Will do."

Sandy's parents walked out of the room slowly, reluctantly. Mr Hawkins waved awkwardly as the door shut behind the pair, leaving the ward in silence.

Sandy turned to face Jack and Tooth. Now that Jack could see him clearly, he saw that Sandy's eyes were oddly shiny too.  
"How did it go?" Tooth asked, and Sandy smiled.

"It was good, actually," he said. "As you probably saw. They were super guilty about not visiting earlier. But you know what they're like. And.. yeah. It was nice to see them. How was your walk?"

"It was good," Tooth said, turning to smile at Jack. "We had an interesting time.. didn't we?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Bumping into old friends and such..."

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Please explain what you're talking about before I assume what I'm about to assume, and I'm sure you two both know by now that you don't want hear what I'm about to assume."

Jack groaned. "Sandy, you're ridiculous."  
Sandy grinned innocently, the gleam of mischief having finally returned to his amber eyes. "Less complaining and more explaining, loverboy."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm so ridiculously sorry for the wait, guys ;A; argh, so much for that once-a-week idea. Uni was already busy, but it fully kicked in in the last few weeks what with assessments (as it usually does when you're disorganised like me, haha) and I'm afraid those took priority above writing.**  
**I'm not dead, though, and neither is this fic, I promise! I'm just really behind on writing it, haha u_u**  
**On a happier note, thanks for just over 100 followers and 70 reviews! Yep, I've reached my ultimate milestone :D thank you so much, guys!**

**Also I arted again :D Tooth and Jack for RS week on tumblr, check it out if you like!  
_artisticmusings-.-tumblr-.-com-/-image-/-510558322 68  
_Also a doodle of two new characters being introduced today :3 all the crossovers!  
_artisticmusings-.-tumblr-.-com-/-image-/-517148998 47  
_****Same deal as last time, just remove the dashes (and that random space between two of the numbers in both links)!**  


** I hope you enjoy the chapter :3 Thank you! **

* * *

The next day, Tooth arrived as Jack limped out of the bathroom, dressed in his gym gear and ready for rehab. His upper body still ached a little, but he could use the crutches and felt up to some exercise. Tooth beamed as she saw him, wearing a purple v-neck sweater and her gold feather necklace.

"Those jeans are new," Jack said, tapping her leg with his crutch as they left the room, Sandy pausing momentarily to wave before returning to his game. "What kind of material is that?"

Tooth smiled bashfully, smoothing the fabric at the tops of her legs. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I think it's regular denim with some kind of coating to make it look like leather."

The fabric was black and shinier than regular denim, and had a strange iridescent quality that made it appear purplish in some angles, greeny-blue in others. It reminded him of beetle's wings. "Fancy," he said. "What's the occasion?"

Tooth flushed. "I just wanted to wear my nice jeans for once," she said. A flustered tone had entered her voice. "Can't a girl make effort to look nice once in a while?"

Jack smiled. "Of course, and you look great," he said. "But it's just rehab!"  
"Whatever! And besides, I hear you've got company this time."

Jack's crutches skidded. "Company? What do you mean?"

Tooth smiled. "Don't look so worried," she said. "Nick has other patients, you know. It saves him time to work with them in groups than individually, so today he's working with you and another couple of patients. No big deal."

"Yes big deal! I don't want to be getting all.. sweaty. In front of strangers."

"You're a skater, Jack, you get sweaty in front of hundreds of strangers all the time."

"This is different. I can ignore a crowd on the other side of a barrier, I can't ignore two other people right next to me."

He suddenly felt nervous. Two other people? That he didn't know? What if he messed up in front of them? Tripped, or something? What if his shorts rode up? He should have worn track pants. Suddenly, Jack felt horribly self-conscious.  
_It was bad enough with people I knew around me. I was just starting to get used to that, and now North throws in a couple of strangers in the mix? _  
He'd been looking forward to rehab before, but now his stomach had twisted itself into knots, and he felt very determined that he did _not_ want to have to train in front of people he didn't know. His crutches felt like they were sticking in molasses as he slowed down, delaying the inevitable.

Tooth squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be fine," she said. "I'm sure they're very nice. And they're in the exact same position as you, y'know. Who knows, you might get on really well."

"But I don't know. I don't know if they're nice, I don't know if we'll get along. They're still strangers, and... I don't want that."

"It's always hard the first time, Jack, but I promise it'll be fine. Hey, if you feel awkward, just talk to me, okay? Don't worry about them. Don't look at them, look at me and I'll cheer for you like an idiot, alright?" She beamed goofily.

Jack smiled, cheered by the mental image of Tooth waving pompoms in the little gym. "Okay," he relented. "We'll see how it goes, I guess."

They entered the gym, and Jack immediately searched the room for the strangers, not even seeing Eddy or Manny or Nick.

His eyes almost didn't register what he was seeing at first. Then it clicked, and he suppressed a groan. _Aw, crap. I have to train in front of girls?_  
He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but the sullen-faced blonde and the grumpy looking redhead were not what he'd been expecting at all.

The blonde looked up and glared at him with intensely pale blue eyes. She was dressed in a green crop top and red shorts over black leggings. She had a cast on one foot that encased her ankle and foot, and a gym shoe on the other. The sweatband around her head failed to stop her bangs flopping over her eyes.

The redhead also looked up, and snorted, blue eyes similarly derisive. Her wild, long hair bounced with every movement; Jack didn't know why she didn't tie it back. She wore an oversized dark green t-shirt over black leggings, and a heavy cast wrapped her hand and forearm.

Jack had never been so intimidated by a pair of girls before, and he didn't like the feeling.

"Jack, Tooth, you're here!" Nick boomed, clapping a hand on Jack's shoulder in greeting. "Good to see you. Jack, I like you to meet two of my other patients; I believe the three of you will get along like, how you say? House on fire! Astrid, Merida, if you two would introduce yourselves."  
The two girls stood up. Astrid picked up a pair of crutches and loped over with far more grace than Jack had ever been able to muster; he watched her stride enviously. Merida marched beside her, arms swinging at her side. The pair stopped in front of Jack, eyeing him up and down critically.

"Ent you the poncy figure skater on t.v?" the redhead asked. It took a moment for Jack to work out what she was saying, and the thick Scottish accent took him by surprise.

"Oh my god, he is!" the blonde exclaimed, chuckling and elbowing the other girl. "Oh, nice. That's just brilliant. Of course we get landed with the pretty boy _skater_ guy."

"Now, girls, be nice," North said sternly. "Don't worry, Jack, is nothing. They can be... rough on edges."

"They don't need to be nice," Jack said, crossing his arms over his crutches. "So what did you two do to get landed in here, huh? Trip over your skirts? Sprain your wrist doing your hair?"

The redhead growled, and lurched forward.  
"Merida, no!" Nick barked, clapping a hand on the girl's shoulder. "And Jack! I am surprised."

The blonde smirked. "No, he's alright," she said. "He's got a little attitude, this one. I'd like to see some bite behind the bark, though, pretty boy."

"I'll have yeh know, we got these injuries from _real_ sport, not from prancing around like a fairy!" Merida snapped. "Yer a right one to talk, princess. How'd ye get that one there, then? Tripped over chasing end of season makeup sales?"

Astrid's smirk disappeared. "Don't joke, Merida," she said. "You know how. Drop it."

Merida frowned, but fell silent.  
Jack was surprised by how quickly they'd drawn the line at the cause of his injury, but didn't question it.

Nick groaned and buried his face in his hands. "And I had much high hopes for you three! At least there will be a healthy level of competition. Merida, Astrid, you have not met Tooth? She is friend of Jack's, and has worked with me in past. She volunteers regularly at hospital."

"Nice to meet yeh, Tooth," Merida said, outstretching her good hand. Tooth shook it bashfully. "Nice to meet you too," she said. "And you too, Astrid."

"Cool name," Astrid said. "How'd you get that?"

"I just really like teeth," Tooth explained. "I want to be a dentist."

"Damn, I was hoping you'd say you were a cannibal or something," Astrid said, but it was with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Tooth."

"How come you got the friendly welcome?" Jack hissed exasperatedly, and Tooth giggled. "I'm not the competition, remember," she reminded him.

"Oh, and how could I forget!" North exclaimed. "Jack, Tooth, meet Hiccup. Hiccup is gentleman friend of Astrid, and mascot for Astrid's team."

"That's right, I get to dress up in the dorky dragon costume and clown around like an idiot while my girlfriend kicks Barbarian butt," a voice said tiredly from behind North. North stepped aside to reveal a skinny, gangly boy not much taller than Tooth with unruly brown hair and a wry grin. A small black cat wound around his shoulders like a furry scarf. "Nice to meet you, Jack and Tooth. Oh, and meet Toothless. My grumpy cat who doesn't like anyone."

"Hey, that's funny how yer called Tooth and Hic's cat is Toothless," Merida said, grinning.

"Nice to meet you, Hiccup. So, why are you called Hiccup?" Tooth asked.

"My real name's Horace, but don't you dare ever call me that in public," Hiccup said. "I got Hiccup in preschool, because apparently one time I got the hiccups and hiccupped nonstop for three days. Imaginative, isn't it."

"Astounding," Jack said, and Hiccup smirked at him. "Nice to meet you, Hiccup. And Toothless."

"Nice to meet you too, Jack."

"So how _did_ you two get injured?" Jack asked, and Merida and Astrid grinned wryly at each other.

"Yeh wouldn't have heard of little old _us,_" Merida said. "We're not poncy great stars like you, princess. But I'd wager our little tale's a great deal more news-worthy than yours. It was great, you shoulda seen the video playback."

"We're ice hockey players," Astrid explained. "We were in the finals for the local comp. On opposite teams – I play for the Dragons, Merida plays for the Barbarians. We were opponents, and we both very much wanted to win. So, we played pretty hard. Damn hard. In fact, we'd already given each other black eyes and bruises and hardcore scratches before our big finale. Which was when I slammed into Merida and crashed us both into the barrier, so hard that I tore the ligament in my ankle and she broke her wrist."

"Good times. We were forced to share a ward, and initially hated each other, since we'd knocked each other out of the game. But we chummed up eventually."

"You wouldn't believe it, but Merida's a kickass knitter."

"Hey!"

"How do you even knit with that wrist?" Jack asked. Merida winked. "Great skill and determination," she said ambiguously. "And possibly a little bit of black magic. I reveal mah secrets to no-one."

"Alright, so now you're all friends, how about we start training?" Eddy suggested. Astrid helped tie back Merida's hair, Tooth and Hiccup sat down to watch, and the three athletes began their workout.

Jack actually enjoyed training with the two girls, though he still felt self-conscious at times, being the only boy out of the trio. When Merida pointed out that his snail-trail was showing after his shirt had rode up after some sit-ups, Jack had been mortified as the two girls dissolved into giggles. He had pulled his shirt down and turned away, cheeks burning furiously, only to see Tooth burying her reddened face in her hands.

Other than that, it had been fun. The two girls were fiercely competitive, and Jack enjoyed the friendly rivalry. He enjoyed training with Eddy, but the girls were a nice change of pace, and he enjoyed their banter with each other. Merida's unique phrases and comical accent in particular had him in fits of laughter several times. He thought he'd rupture an organ laughing when after slightly pulling a muscle she yelped out "JINGS, CRIVENS, ME FECKING LEG'S BUGGERED! BOLLOCKS, IT DUN HALF HURT!"

At lunch, the girls and Hiccup stayed in the gym with Jack and Tooth while the three older men left for the cafeteria again. There, Jack learned a bit more about Hiccup, who wanted to study engineering and become a designer to invent, as he put it, "cool stuff". He talked about an idea he was already developing to design a cat harness that was more appealing to cats, so they'd be easier to take on walks, encouraging cat owners to walk cats more.

"The problem is, most cat harnesses just aren't comfortable so cats don't like wearing them and become grumpy and uncooperative," Hiccup explained. "They're not like dogs; cats are fussy, and they won't be walked if they don't like the harness. But just clipping a leash on their collar isn't good either, because they can slip out of it too easily. So I'm trying this prototype with Toothless, and y'know what? It'll take a bit of work to look prettier, but he doesn't mind it at all. And Toothless never liked walks before."

Toothless, the cat, had taken a great liking to Tooth and was purring contentedly in her arms. Astrid had been quite put out. "That cat never liked me at all!" she exclaimed. "He took months to even stop clawing at me every time I came within a one-metre radius! And now look at him all cosied up to the new girl within five minutes! That cat is evil, I tell you."

"It's just 'cause he knows Tooth isn't a threat," Hiccup explained. "Toothless isn't evil, just jealous."

"Hmph," Astrid said, pouting slightly. "One day. I'll cover myself in catnip every day until that cat learns to like me."

Tooth giggled. "I just find it funny that a cat called Toothless likes me, like Merida said. And cats usually don't like me at all."

"Maybe Toothless thinks you're a bird. Your hair's like feathers, it's so bright."

Tooth smirked at Astrid's comment. "Maybe. Perhaps Toothless is just gearing up to eat me."

"Good luck to Toothless!" Merida exclaimed. "Yer rather little, but I think yer still a bit too big for a cat."

"Toothless thinks he's bigger than he really is, though," Hiccup said. "He's always trying to get into fights with cats twice his size. Silly thing."

"Ugh, that one time he took on a bobcat." Astrid shuddered.

"I know!" Hiccup said. "Lucky he's quick, otherwise he wouldn't have made it out of that fight."

Tooth chuckled, rubbing under the small cat's chin. Toothless seemed perfectly content to let her coo over him. "Well, I like him. I think he's sweet. Plus his teeth are in excellent health, by the look of things. What made you decide to call him Toothless?"

"He _was_ toothless – when I got him, anyway," Hiccup said. "We got him from a neighbour whose cat had kittens – he hadn't realised the cat was pregnant, so the kittens were unexpected, and he just wanted to get rid of them. He gave them away really soon after the birth – we must have got him too young or something, because his teeth hadn't come through. You think he's small now, he was tiny back then. We were actually kind of worried because his teeth came through really late – we were afraid something was wrong with him. In the end it turned out he was just a late bloomer. But yeah, he'd try to bite things despite having no teeth, so we called him Toothless. Then he grew teeth, and.. never grew out of biting. Much to my suffering." Hiccup held out his hands, which were covered with little red teeth marks. "And naturally, he doesn't bite anyone else! Except Astrid."

"He doesn't let me get close enough to bite! I'm stuck with being scratched at."

Jack reached down to pet the little creature. Toothless put his ears back and glared at Jack, but grudgingly allowed him a quick scratch behind the ears.

The door opened, and the group looked up. "Hey, the three musketeers are back!" Merida piped up. "What took yeh so long?"

The three men groaned at the new nickname, exchanging looks. Nick looked embarrassed, while Manny simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Can't a bunch of blokes just chill over some grub and have a good chat?" Eddy exclaimed. "Didn't realise our schedule was that tight!"

"You're doctors, it's supposed to be tight," Astrid said with a smirk. "Now that the three old ladies are done with their knit and natter, are we ready to get back into it, or what?"

"I resent that descriptor," Manny said, sitting down and unfolding his clipboard. "Rather preferred the three musketeers, myself."

"Knit.. natter?" Nick asked, scratching his head as he plonked down beside Manny.

After the second stage of rehab, the trio showered off and the whole group went back to Jack's ward. "Sandy'll be furious if he missed a chance to meet new people to show off around," Tooth reasoned when she invited Astrid, Merida and Hiccup to hang out in the ward. "I think you'll like him."

Sandy was engrossed in a game when they returned, but tore off his headphones in surprise when the group piled in through the door.

"Hey, Sandy, we brought friends!" Tooth exclaimed, beaming.

"I don't care if they followed you all the way back here, Tooth, we're not keeping them," Sandy said sternly. "You really gotta break out of this habit if you want to be a good dentist, you can't keep bringing home pet patients all the time!"

Tooth blew a raspberry and jumped over Jack's bed, ruffling Sandy's hair. "Hilarious, Sandy, now be nice and say hi."

Sandy's mock stern expression melted into a grin and he waved with his good hand. "Hi," he said. "I take it you were with Jack in rehab?"

"Yeah, we work with Nick too, so today Jack joined our group," Astrid explained. "Nice to meet you, Sandy. How come you weren't in rehab?"

Sandy smirked and held up his controller. "I'm not as concerned about staying fit like you athletes," he said. "I've got my own sport that doesn't require any fitness at all!"

Merida laughed and walked around the bed to take a look at the screen. "_Remember Me_, eh? Good plot, though I was disappointed by the gameplay. How are you finding it?"

Sandy's eyes widened, and he grinned. "Not too bad, but yeah, it could be a bit more challenging. You play games?"

Merida chuckled and sat next to him on the bed. "Do I play games, he asks! Yeh got any good multi-players?"

"I got a few. You into _Minecraft_?"

"Pffft. Bit too childish for me. Got anything more exciting?"

"I wouldn't call Creepers childish, those things are terrifying! But yeah, I got_ Halo 4_ and _Mass Effect 3_ if you're interested."

"_Mass Effect_, bloody hell! One of my favourites, that one!"

"You wanna play it?"

"If yer not bothered pausing this game, of course."

"Not at all, I was itching for something a bit more exciting anyway. Here, grab a controller."

Sandy took out the first game and put in the new game, and the pair began playing.

Jack chuckled at the sight. Finally, someone who actually wanted to play video games with Sandy. He would have bet the golden-haired kid was pretty stoked.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I guess we'll be hanging out here for a little while, then," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs with a sigh and setting aside her cane. "Can't disturb the gamers doing their thing!"

"I'll wager that Merida's gonna be visiting here often," Hiccup said with a chuckle. "She was endlessly exasperated by the fact that neither Astrid or me play video games. Now she finally has someone to play with!"

"Can't help the fact that I get killed on just the practice levels!" Astrid said, and Hiccup laughed, sitting beside her. Toothless jumped out of his arms and onto Jack's bed, padding over to Tooth who'd just sat down. She picked up the cat and absently scratched his head.

"Wow, looks like I have a rival for Toothless's affections!" Hiccup said, making Tooth giggle. Toothless turned to blink lazily at Hiccup. The expression on the little cat's face was very dismissive, and he yawned. For a cat, Toothless was quite expressive.

"He really doesn't like anyone else, does he?" Jack said, reaching out to pet the cat. Toothless didn't let him this time, putting back his ears and letting out a grumbling meow, as if to say, _You've already had one turn, leave me alone._ He snapped at Jack's fingers, and he pulled his hand out of the cat's reach.

"Like I said, it's really weird that he likes Tooth, because he usually doesn't like anyone except me," Hiccup said. "He's not particularly social."

"He's a cat," Astrid said. "Of course he's not social."

"No, I suppose," Hiccup agreed, "But c'mon, even for a cat he's pretty unfriendly."

"Hey Jack, do you know when you're getting your cast taken off?" Astrid asked. "Merida and I get ours off in two weeks, what about you?"

"Not sure," Jack said, looking at Tooth.

"Well, you've been in hospital for a week and a half, and Manny said you'd have to have the cast on for four weeks." she said, counting off on her fingers. "So, that's two and a half more weeks!" She smiled. "Not long at all!"

Jack groaned, causing Tooth's expression to become confused.

"I've only been here a week and a half? It seems like forever!" he exclaimed. "And I've still gotta have the cast on for twice as long as that? Aww man."

"Oh, don't be such a baby about it," Tooth said, gently shoving his arm. "It's not twice as long, that'd be three weeks. You only have to wait two and a half, which isn't too long at all! And hey, now that you've got all these friends, it'll go even faster, won't it?"

Jack looked around at the faces surrounding him. Sandy and Merida, their banter drowning out the game they were engrossed in. Astrid's wry smirk, Hiccup's lopsided grin. And Tooth, her bright eyes and beautiful smile.  
Had he ever even had this many friends? Usually it was just him and Em, and that was all he'd needed to content himself with. But now.. now, he had five. And he was starting to find that he really liked having friends.

His broken leg had cost him the Olympics, but it had gained him five new friends, and he was starting to think that wasn't such a bad deal.

He smiled. "Yeah, I guess it will," he said.

Astrid and Hiccup eventually left – Hiccup had to take Toothless home to feed him, and Astrid left to walk with them to the hospital entrance. Merida followed soon after, having beaten Sandy in a level. "Ha! Never mess with the _Mass Effect_ master!" she'd crowed, while Sandy had clapped.

"Usually I'd be upset, but I'm so glad to have a decent gaming partner with skills _almost_ as masterful as my own, I happily concede defeat," he declared.

"Almost as masterful?!" Merida yelped, gently shoving the smaller boy's shoulder. "Wait til we play again – a few more losses and you won't just be conceding defeat! I'm a pro, I ought to make money from this!"

With a wave and farewells, Merida also left to make her way back to her and Astrid's ward.

"I can't understand how two patients with arm injuries can be so good at gaming," Tooth said, shaking her head. "You two shouldn't even be playing in the first place! I wouldn't be surprised if you two got told you had to keep your casts on for longer because you hadn't let yourself heal properly."

"Hey, I'd rather spend more time in hospital and have fun, then spend less time but be bored out of my mind for all of it," Sandy retorted. "Life's too short to spend it being bored!"

Tooth rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You're impossible," she sighed.

Soon, the door opened again, and a familiar head of dark brown hair entered the room, quickly followed by another mop of long blonde.

"Hey, Jack!" Jamie exclaimed as the two children entered the room, scrambling up onto the bed. "How's hospital?"

"Not too bad, kiddo," Jamie said, pulling the small boy into a hug. "Hey, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine."

Jamie stared curiously at Tooth and Sandy, who both smiled. "I didn't know you could make friends in hospital," he said.

"Well, you sure can," Jack replied. "Guys, this is Jamie, and that over there is Sophie. Jamie, Soph, this here is Tooth, she's a volunteer nurse here so we get to see her a lot. And this here is Sandy, who's also a patient here, and he's staying in this room with me."

"Hi, Tooth, Sandy" Jamie said hesitantly.

"Hey, Jamie," Sandy said. He was immediately assaulted by Sophie, who launched herself onto his bed and began fiddling with one of the game controllers.

"Hi, Jamie, how are you?" Tooth asked pleasantly. "You go to school, don't you?"

"I'm pretty good," Jamie replied. "I do, it's been okay."

"You've got lots of friends?"

"Yeah! There's Pippa, and Monty, and Caleb, and Claude, and – and Cupcake."

"How is Cupcake?" Jack asked. Jamie's cheeks went pink.

"She gave me some comics.. and didn't hit me. They were good comics too, like Spiderman and X-Men. She said she liked collecting them, and asked if I wanted to go to the comic store later. I don't know why she's being so nice to me." Jamie looked thoroughly puzzled.

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that's great! You should go with her! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun," he reassured him. "Hey, where's your dad?"

"He's talking with the nurse," Sophie piped up, jumping off Sandy's bed. Sandy looked amused by the little girl. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Tooth. "Ooh, pretty!" she cooed.

"Aww, isn't she sweet," Tooth cooed. Sophie crawled up onto the bed and sat next to her, reaching up to touch Tooth's hair. "Pretty colours!" she exclaimed. "Are you a fairy?"

"Haha, I wish!" Tooth said, giggling. "Are _you_ a fairy?" She pointed at Sophie's strap-on fabric wings.

"Yeah, I'm a fairy, I'm a fairy!" Sophie crowed, jumping off the bed and hurtling around the room.  
Tooth laughed and clapped with delight, enthralled by the tiny blonde.

"Stop it, Sophie, you'll fall," Jamie said, rolling his eyes and looking at Jack. "And then she's gonna cry, and then dad's gonna come and we'll have to go..." he sighed heavily.

Jack chuckled at the kid's seriousness and ruffled his hair. "Nah, I think she'll be okay. Let her have some fun."

"How are my little terrors? Not tormenting you lot too much, are they?" Eddy walked into the room, and Sophie launched herself at her father's legs with a cry of delight.  
"Oof!" Eddy yelped. "Now I'm the one being terrorised! Get off me, ya little anklebiter!"

He grinned at the others, pulling Sophie off his legs and up into his arms. The little girl giggled with delight and pulled at his ears. "Ouch! You seem far too excited today," he said, and Sophie just laughed.

"Dad, have you met Tooth and Sandy?" Jamie asked. "They're Jack's friends!"

"I've definitely met Tooth, she's around all the bloody time," Eddy said, and Tooth went pink. "Now, Sandy, I actually haven't met yet."

"Hi, Eddy, you must be Jack's trainer," Sandy said. Eddy transferred his daughter to one arm and gave him a quick wave.

"Sure am, kiddo, and you'd be Jack's roommate. Good to see you two get along well! How're you feeling? Last I saw you, you were out for the count."

"I'm doing much better, thanks, but it'll be good to get the cast off."

"I'm sure it will be! Good to hear you're on the mend, mate." Eddy turned to Jamie. "Now how about we head back home before your mother starts to worry? She'll have a fit if you lot aren't back before dinner."

"Aww, Dad," Jamie complained, and Eddy laughed. "Quit your bellyaching, kid, you'll see Jack again soon enough! How about I take you to rehab on Saturday? Or do you have plans then?"

Jamie went pink again. "I'm going to the comic store with Cupcake," he admitted. Eddy's eyebrows just about shot off his forehead.

"Oh! So the little rascal's got a date then! Well, I'd best not be getting in the way of that," he exclaimed, as Jamie groaned.

"Daaad! It's not a date!"

"And I'm the Easter Bunny, bucko. D'you want me to drop you off before I go to the hospital?"

"Yeah, that'd be good, thanks."

"Sure thing. Alright now, time we got moving."

Jamie sighed and gave Jack another hug. "I'll see you later, okay?" he said, and Jack nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said with a laugh. "See you soon, kiddo."

"Bye Tooth, bye Sandy!" Jamie said, hopping off the bed.

"Bye, fairy!" Sophie called, and Tooth giggled. "See you soon!" she said, and the trio left.

"That was nice, I'm glad you guys got to meet the kids," Jack said.

"Yeah, they were real characters," Sandy said with a chuckle. "Weren't they, Tooth? Tooth?"

Jack turned to look at Tooth, and grinned. She had both hands on her cheeks and was grinning like a maniac, eyes big and soft and misty. "You okay there, Tooth?" he asked.

"_I love her!_" Tooth declared, and Sandy laughed. "Yeah, I think she definitely liked the kids," he said, winking at Jack.

Jack smiled, watching his friends... _his friends_. The thought felt foreign, odd, like a new flavour, but he supposed it was true. They were his friends, proper friends, and the idea sent little thrills of excitement into his belly.

_Gosh, I guess this means I'll have to do friend stuff,_ he pondered._ Like.. hanging out, watching movies, playing games. To be fair, I guess we do that a lot anyway. But what will happen when we get out of hospital? We'll have to find other places to meet up. Wow. Making plans with friends._ The thought was so unfamiliar, so opposite of what he was used to, that he cracked up laughing. Sandy gave him a funny look, and Tooth frowned.

She pushed his shoulder gently. "Oh, it's not that funny," she exclaimed. "Sophie's just really, really cute, okay?! Will she visit again?"

Jack smiled. "Of course she will," he said. "She'll want to visit you, won't she?"

Tooth let out a little squeal and bounced up and down on the bed. Sandy chuckled. "Watch out, Jack, you might have a kidnapped child on your hands," he joked. "Look at her, she's practically formulating the plans right now."

Tooth was back to grinning manically. "She makes me want children," she sighed. "I want babies like her!"

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "What's your natural hair colour, Jack?"

Jack stared at Sandy, puzzled. "Brown, it runs in my family. Why?"

"No chance of blonde?"

"No..?"

Sandy sighed. "Well, no cute little blonde girls by Jack, then," he lamented.

Jack flushed. "I'd ask what you're talking about, but I know you won't answer."

"Plus I think you've already got an idea of what I'm talking about," Sandy said with a wink.

"No, I don't."

"Oh, for the love of -! I'm surrounded by idiots."

Meanwhile, Tooth sat oblivious, still smiling dumbly. "I'm gonna have lots of little blonde babies," she cooed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: i SORRY ;A;**

**Uni got super hectic AGAIN! And it's going to be even more hectic in a few weeks. Also, this chapter was super hard to write ;_; you'll find out why at the end, haha. **

**From this point, I will be skipping days and/or weeks between chapters. The day-to-day chapters worked well up until this point, but to move the story forward a bit better, I'll have to skip sections or it will get repetitive. It might actually make it easier to write as well, haha!**

**Again I'm so sorry about the wait, and I hope it was worth it! Please enjoy!**

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

"Jack, does it hurt?"

"Don't be dumb, Sophie, of course it doesn't hurt!"

"Jamie, mate, no need to be rude! Say sorry."

"Sorry, Sophie."

"It's okay, Jamie. But what if the saw cuts Jack?"

"The saw won't cut, Sophie, the doctors know how deep to go without hitting the skin. Don't worry, cutting off casts don't hurt at all!"

"Okay, Emma."

Sophie wrapped her arms around Tooth's legs, clinging to the older girl. The other kids – Jamie, Emma, Baby Tooth – all crowded around Jack's legs, eyes wide in anticipation for the moment that the cast would come off. Manny chuckled at the kids and their curiosity as he gently worked the tool down Jack's leg.  
Jack hadn't seen a tool like it before, and had been initially reluctant to have it used on him – it looked like a tiny circular saw, and no less dangerous than a full-sized one. However, Manny seemed to know what he was doing, and despite flinching at first, Jack didn't feel any pain and so was able to conclude that Manny wasn't going to injure him with the saw.  
He didn't know how Manny knew how far to cut into the cast without touching Jack's skin. By now, Manny had already made one cut line down the cast, and was working on a second cut so they could take the cast off easily.

Behind the kids, the adults stood around with similar curiosity, though it was better-hidden. Eddy, Jack's parents, and even Nick had showed up for the event.

On the other side of the room, Sandy was having the same treatment – his newly-promoted father sat by him anxiously with Astrid, Merida and Hiccup as Sandy had his cast cut off by a new brunette volunteer nurse that Jack didn't know, an ordeal that Sandy happily sat through with none of Jack's hesitance and flinching. He appeared all too happy to be tended to by the pretty volunteer.

"Is your leg gonna look awful when the cast comes off?" Jamie asked.

"It's gonna look nasty, probably," Emma informed him gleefully. "It hasn't been that long since the accident, so it'll still probably look swollen and bruised and stuff. And even if it looks okay, it's gonna smell _awful_. Jack can't wash under the cast, remember. And he's been doing rehab and stuff so of course it's gonna get all sweaty and gross."

She beamed up at Tooth. "Isn't that right, Tooth?"

Tooth smiled down at the little girl, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Yes, Emma, that's right," she said. "But Doctor Luna will clean it up right away and put a boot on it, won't he?"

"He sure will! Hey, Doctor Luna, can I help?"

Manny chuckled, glancing up over his glasses. "Thanks for the offer, Em, but I think Tooth will be enough help. She can handle cast removal pretty well."

"Are you sure I can't help Tooth? Please Tooth, can I help?"

Tooth giggled, smoothing the little girl's hair. "If you really want to, sweetie, you can help me wash his leg. But it'll be pretty gross!"

"I can handle it!" Emma piped up. "Besides Jack could get pretty stinky after training. I had to wash his tracksuit once, ugh. I had to actually peg my nose it was so gross."

Tooth went red in the effort to suppress her giggles. Jack frowned, feeling his cheeks burning slightly. "Hey! Save the embarrassing stories for later, kiddo. No need to tell everyone everything."

Emma stuck her tongue out at her older brother. "Whatever."

"What? 'Whatever'? I'm shocked! Where did this attitude come from? You're not a teenager yet, young lady, I don't expect any 'whatever's for at least another three years."

Emma giggled. "Hey, I'm volunteering to help wash your stinky leg! You should thank me."

Tooth winked at Jack. "I'm sure she'll do a great job."

Emma simply glowed under Tooth's praise. After meeting Tooth and learning that she was a volunteer nurse, Emma had latched onto Tooth with the same fervour as Sophie, looking up to the older girl with utter adoration. She worshipped the ground Tooth walked on, and had made every effort to impress her with her medical knowledge. Not that she needed to, because Tooth fell in love with Emma almost as hard as she'd done with Sophie. The three were now virtually inseparable – Sophie clinging to Tooth's legs, Emma clinging to Tooth's hand. They made a funny trio.

"So I guess she wants cute little brunette girls as much as cute little blonde girls now, does she?" Sandy had commented after the two met. "Guess your natural hair colour isn't an issue any more, Jack!"

Jack had blushed furiously and pretended not to know what Sandy was talking about.

"And that's the cast cut!" Manny announced as the saw reached the bottom of Jack's cast. "Now to see if we can get it off."

He used another tool to pry the cut edges of the cast apart, lifting half of the cast off. As Jack's leg finally emerged, he realised that Emma had been right – his leg utterly reeked after four weeks without washing. Of all the things he'd considered about having a broken limb, the stink when the cast came off was not one of them. He glanced at Tooth, and couldn't help but be embarrassed by the smell.

However, she didn't seem bothered. The kids giggled and let out cries of disgust at the smell, and even Eddy grinned and wrinkled his nose, but Tooth simply smiled and helped lever the cast away.

"Ready to help me out, Em?" she asked, and Emma obediently nodded. Tooth dragged over an already-filled bucket of soapy water, and handed her a sponge.

"Alright, now, don't let the sponge be too wet – squeeze it out good – we don't want water dripping everywhere. And be super gentle! His leg's still not done healing."

The two girls dunked sponges into the bucket and started wiping down Jack's leg, cleaning off the powdery plaster remnants and sweat.

Jack watched as they worked, simultaneously fascinated by Tooth's quick work and the first sight of his leg after four weeks of having it hidden by the cast. He almost didn't recognise it – his ankle and toes were swollen from the pressure of the cast, and the skin was pale and clammy from a month without air or sunlight. Great ugly bruising and swelling circled his lower leg where he supposed the break was. Gosh, he'd done a great job of messing himself up.

The clumsy, ugly sight of his leg was a contrast to Tooth's nimble hands. They worked diligently yet gently, and Jack felt almost no pain from her touch, though plenty of electrical tingles jolted from her fingertips up into his chest. A month of knowing the girl and his heart still leapt into his throat every time she touched him. His sister was almost as gentle, but the twinges of pain from the light pressure of her hands were significantly greater than Tooth's.

Tooth gently took hold of his foot to wipe it down, and the touch tickled. His toes twitched automatically, sending pain riveting up his leg. He winced.

Tooth let go. "Sorry, did I hurt you?" Her eyes looked concerned.

Jack shook his head. "Nah, just.. tickled. I wiggled my toes, dumb idea."

Tooth chuckled. "Yeah, that might have hurt a little. I'll try to be more gentle!"

"Does it hurt?" Jamie asked.

"Not too much," Jack said. "You know when you get a bruise and you touch it, and it kinda twinges? It's kind of like that."

He glanced over at Sandy, who was having the same treatment from the cute new nurse. He winked at Jack.

"There you go, all clean!" Tooth grinned at Jack, carefully drying off his leg with a towel. He grinned back.

"It's nice to have the cast off, that's for sure," he said. "So what happens now?"

"We put this old thing on," Manny said, holding up a boot-shaped brace. "It's not as heavy as the cast, but will keep your leg still and protected while its healing."

He pulled it apart, and he and Tooth gently manoeuvred it onto Jack's leg. Jack stared at the new boot. It was definitely a nice change from the heavy cast.

"Well, Jack, I do believe this part's over," Manny said with a grin. "Your skull fracture is just about healed, your ribs are done, and now your leg's out of the cast. I do believe this means you're ready to go home!"

Jack's heart thudded. _Home_. His bag sat packed and ready by his bed, the wall empty without Jamie's drawing, yet he still couldn't quite believe it. _Sleeping in my own bed, that's gonna be nice_.

"All done now, eh, Jack? Off home for you!" Sandy crowed from the other side of the room. The new volunteer was in the process of wrapping a brace around his arm, and he grinned widely. "Gosh, you're almost done with me, too – and I haven't even got your name yet! A pretty girl like you must have an equally pretty name," he said, making the volunteer giggle and shyly tuck a stray chocolate strand behind her ear.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you," she replied. "My name's Rapunzel."

"See, I knew it'd be pretty!" Sandy exclaimed. "There, now you can't disappear out of my life after this, leaving me to pine after the caring stranger who nursed me back to health!" He smirked coyly as Rapunzel blushed furiously.  
He was much chirpier than usual; most likely because he would also be off home as well after having the brace put on, and so had traded his yellow nightgown for a canary-coloured t-shirt, beige pants and black leather jacket. He looked excited to be going home with his dad, who had come by especially to see him have his cast taken off and take him home.

"What are we gonna do when yeh get home?" Merida asked. "It's not like we can stop by and visit all the time anymore."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to swap numbers and stuff before you leave," Astrid said.

Jack had already swapped numbers with Tooth – she'd arrived early, helping the two boys pack, and had insisted Jack give her his number so they could stay in contact. It had struck him that she wasn't going to simply just be around anymore, and neither was Sandy. And as much as Jack was excited to get home, he felt strangely anxious that just seeing his friends would take effort now – it wasn't like he could just roll over in bed and see Sandy, there was no more Tooth just knocking on their door and bursting in. They'd have to make plans, co-ordinate gatherings. It wasn't effortless anymore, and Jack was worried that he'd see them less. See Tooth less.

Seeing Tooth less was a terrifying concept. Jack had grown so used to her being around, and her visits had become a daily delight over the past few weeks. The three had grown quite close, and now Jack just couldn't imagine life without them. Especially Tooth. Every time she left, he began to miss her as soon as her multicoloured hair disappeared from sight.

"We can text," she'd said. "And I can add you on Facebook. We'll still talk!"

_But it wouldn't be the same,_ Jack had thought, and silently despaired.

"You know what we should do?" Hiccup asked, breaking Jack from his reverie. "We should meet up this afternoon at the diner and hang out. Celebrate Sandy and Jack getting out of hospital. What do you guys think?"

"Diner? Which one?" Tooth asked.

"My dad owns a diner called the Viking Shield," Hiccup explained, absently scratching Toothless's head. "We call it a diner, but Dad tried really hard to make it look like a pub – you know, the traditional old English type deal. It's a diner because he can't serve alcohol and it's primarily a restaurant, but it's got a good atmosphere and it's a great hangout, plus it's cheaper for us since he's my dad. Do you guys wanna come over to hang out?"

"That sounds great!" Tooth exclaimed. "You'll have to give me the address."

"We'll have to invite Rapunzel too!" Sandy called. "You want to come too, Punzie?"

"Sure!" Rapunzel chirped. "I'll bring my boyfriend, you'd get along great with him!" She covered her mouth to hide her smirk at Sandy's deflated expression, and Merida laughed.

He held up a fist in mock anger. "A challenger, eh? I shall have to fight for your hand, then!" he declared.

Rapunzel giggled. "Oh, please no!" she exclaimed. "I'd rather you two were just friends."

"I can be civil towards my rivals!" Sandy said with a grin. "Trust me, I'm _very_ much looking forward to meeting this guy."

Jack chuckled at the exchange, and turned to his parents. "What do you think, Mom, Dad?" Jack asked. "Can I go?"

Jack's dad smiled. "I think that should be fine with us," he said. "Just stay home a couple of hours to settle in before you go, okay?"

"And don't be out too late!" his mother said. "We'd like to see something of you on your first night home, after all! I'll drop you off there once we get the address, and I'll give you cash for a taxi home, sound good?"

"Sounds awesome," Jack said.

Emma pouted. "You don't wanna hang out with me?" she asked, frowning.  
Jack chuckled, leaning over to give her a hug.

"Of course I want to, kiddo," he said. "And I will! I'll just be gone for a few hours, that's all. I'll get back home and we'll watch a movie, sound good?"

"Okay," Emma said. "I guess." She perked up. "Can we watch a Barbie movie?"

Jack cringed on the inside. _I'll rejoice on the day my little sister says she's too old for Barbie,_ he internally grumbled.  
"Okay," he relented. "We can watch a Barbie movie. As long as it's not the Musketeers one, sure."

Emma squealed and wrapped her arms around him. "Awesome! Tonight's gonna be great!"

Jack smiled at her small weight crushing into his chest. The rest of the day would be awesome indeed.

* * *

"Three cheers for Jack and Sandy getting out of hospital and rejoining the mortal world!" Merida declared once the group's drinks had arrived, brandishing her glass of frozen Coke into the air.

Sandy chuckled as Jack's mouth fell open. "Mortal world!" he spluttered. "C'mon now, it wasn't long ago before you were stuck in limbo too, Groundskeeper Willie!"  
However Tooth couldn't miss the smile tugging at the boy's mouth, and she was sure it was obvious to the rest of the table too. Merida laughed and stuck her tongue out at him.

She'd walked to the diner herself, but finding it hadn't been hard; the huge sign with the cartoon Viking out the side of the building was unmistakeable, and she couldn't have missed the rag-tag group of teenagers waiting outside if she'd wanted to.  
There were a couple of unfamiliar faces; she hadn't quite gotten used to Rapunzel, and the tall, older boy she'd brought with him was definitely new. Sandy in particular had looked dismayed by the boyfriend's formidable height, perfectly flicked-back brown hair and cocky grin. However, Flynn had turned out to be as nice as his beaming girlfriend, and Rapunzel had been right – Flynn and Sandy hit it off immediately.

Eventually, Jack's mom's car had pulled up, making Tooth's heart leap; she couldn't stop the grin breaking across her face when he'd hopped out, smiling and awkwardly patting down his unruly hair. His brown roots were beginning to show; she found she liked it. She wondered if he'd keep dyeing his hair white, or let the bleached parts grow out completely.

When he'd made his way to the group, grinning at Tooth in a way that made her stomach imitate his triple-jumps, the group had piled inside and claimed a booth; the whole gang just fit, if a bit snugly, and a large blonde boy had shuffled over to quickly greet Hiccup and take their orders.

"I guess you must know all the people who work here?" Jack had asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Astrid and I work here too, so yeah, we know most of the people here. That there was Fishlegs. I don't actually know his real name, the other guys started calling him that when he arrived, poor guy. There's a tradition of bad nicknames among the staff, and Fishlegs definitely got the worst one. He's a nice dude, though."

"Yeah, he's not great with carrying or delivering, but he's great at remembering orders," Astrid added. "That guy must have a photographic memory, I swear – you give him any number of orders and he'll easily remember them all. Won't get a single one wrong. He's great during rush hours, you just ask him which order goes where and he'll tell you. He also has the inventory memorised."

"Yeah, not like Snotlout," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "He's pretty strong, so he's good with carrying orders and moving stock, but he's hopeless at remembering anything."

After their food had arrived – served by the aforementioned Snotlout, who easily carried all of their food balanced on his brawny arms – the group had dug in. And somehow over the food, conversation had come easily.  
Rapunzel turned out to be bright and bubbly, taking a keen interest in everyone on the table. Tooth had initially been unnerved by the piercing gaze of her green eyes as she stared at her, but it didn't take long to relax and forget the curious way she looked at everyone.  
She explained how she'd just started volunteering as a way to gain experience in the medical field; she'd decided to become a chemist and develop medicines and treatments for a career. She found that she particularly enjoyed taking care of patients, and lamented that her chosen path as a chemist wouldn't involve nursing.

"Punzie's got a real knack with chemistry, though," Flynn had said. "Straight A's in all our science classes. Not gonna lie, she was the only reason I passed science!"

"Oh shush, you," Rapunzel giggled, nudging him gently. "He's just being nice. He's actually super smart! Just doesn't apply himself well in academics, isn't that right?"

"I'm just not interested in math and english and all that nerdy stuff," Flynn said, shrugging. "You know that."

"I know. You're great in P.E and workshop, though!" Rapunzel pulled out her leather shoulder bag to show off the keyring attached to it. It was a tiny wooden chameleon with inset green beads for eyes and delicate relief-work scales all over the small body. It could have appeared alive if not for the smooth polished texture and swirling coffee colours of the wood.  
"He made this for me for my birthday!" Rapunzel gushed. "Isn't it beautiful? Flynn's got a real talent for creative things, don't let him tell you he's too manly for that stuff!"

"I only made it because I knew you'd like it," Flynn grumbled, but the tiny smile tugging at his face gave away his true pleasure. It was clear he was secretly proud of the little carving.

Tooth was impressed by the carving, but it wasn't long before her attention was distracted by Jack's hands as he reached across the table to examine the tiny chameleon. She silently despaired at the worn beauty of Jack's hands and the unlikely grace he displayed in studying the carving.  
His hands were rough and knobbled; the pale skin was dry and obviously neglected. He didn't take much care of them. But there was a certain aesthetic to the slim fingers and prominent knuckles and tendons, and she could have lost herself in the spidery network of blue veins tracing his skin. Their rugged appearance also belied their grace; he held the carving as delicately as a pianist.

It wasn't until Jack let go of the keyring and they disappeared from view that she broke from her trance and silently chided herself.  
_You've got to stop being so weird,_ she lectured mentally. _Being obsessive isn't cute, it's creepy. You've got to stop that!_  
She turned her focus on Sandy, who raised an eyebrow at the carving and looked it over dismissively. She couldn't help but smirk at his affected disinterest; she could see the envy in his eyes.

She partly felt bad for Sandy; she'd despaired for him as soon as Rapunzel and Flynn had arrived. Flynn was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, with gorgeous teeth, emerging stubble and a strong jaw on top of his excellent physique. Little Sandy, who was scrawny and barely made it to Rapunzel's shoulders, didn't stand a chance against resplendent Flynn. Worse, Tooth couldn't even dislike Flynn for Sandy's sake – Flynn had turned out to be a great guy who immediately got on well with Sandy, as well as a real sweetheart who clearly adored Rapunzel. He put on a show of appearing tough and cocky, but the soft glances he stole of Rapunzel when he thought nobody was looking revealed his true character. Flynn was just wonderful. If only he'd been an unlikeable asshole!

She was sure Sandy would survive, though. Despite his stature, Sandy was a charming character and won female affections easily, so Tooth was confident that he'd find another pretty girl to impress in no time.

And despite Flynn's impressive appearance and nature, he didn't send shivers up Tooth's spine even slightly like the way Jack did.  
Jack may have been smaller and paler, but he definitely had better teeth. And it was _his_ smile, not Flynn's, that made Tooth's insides attempt to imitate his figure-skating twists.

Long after they'd finished eating and were still talking, the dimming light outside made it clear that it was time to go. Respective parents were called, and as they waited outside, the group grew considerably smaller until just Jack and Tooth were left waiting.

"Is your mom coming to pick you up?" Jack asked.

Tooth shook her head. "Nah, I don't live far from here, I'll just walk," she said.

Jack frowned, a shadow cast over his eyes in the dying light. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You shouldn't walk home by yourself after dark."

Tooth smirked and gently hit his shoulder. "Hey, I can take care of myself!" she exclaimed. "I took self-defence. If I met you walking down a dark alley, you'd be the one in trouble, not me!"

Jack chuckled. "Okay," he said. "But I don't like the idea of you walking home alone anyway. Do you want to catch a taxi with me, and the taxi can drop you off on the way?"

"I'm pretty sure my house isn't anywhere near your side of town!" Tooth exclaimed. "It'd be a bit out of your way."

"I don't mind. I just want you home safe."

Tooth didn't know why Jack was so insistent that she didn't walk home. She wasn't weak. She could take care of herself, and it annoyed her slightly that Jack would underestimate her ability to walk home alone.  
"Oh, come on," she said, sheepishly aware that what she was about to say would sound petty. "If it was Sandy, you'd have no problem!"

"No, I'd have a problem with that too," Jack said lightly. "I just.. don't feel like it's safe."

"Jack, I've walked home a million times, it's perfectly safe around here! This part of town isn't exactly rife with burglars."

"That's... not what I'm worried about," Jack said. He wasn't smiling, and Tooth couldn't see his eyes under the shadow cast over them. She waited for him to explain, but he didn't.

She huffed out an emphatic sigh. "Alright, I'll take a taxi with you," she said. "If it really makes you feel better."

Jack's smile returned. "That would," he said. "Thanks, Tooth."

"No problem." She wanted to stay annoyed, but Jack's smile compelled her own lips to twitch up.

She stamped her feet. "When is the taxi supposed to come, anyway?" she asked.

"Not for another few minutes, I don't think," Jack said. "Why? Are you cold?"

She shook her head, but just the mention of cold made her shiver; she was suddenly very aware of her numb hands and feet, and the evening wind was definitely chilly.

Jack chuckled. "You _are_ cold," he exclaimed. "You should have said so! Come here."

He stepped close behind her and wrapped his arms around to her front; Tooth shivered again as they closed around her. Jack massaged her closed fists. "Wow, you're really cold," he declared, resting his chin on her shoulder.  
Jack never initiated hugs; it pleasantly surprised Tooth and warmed her all over that he felt comfortable enough with her to hug her himself. She grinned in pleasure.

"I'm actually starting to look forward to that taxi," Tooth confessed, and Jack chuckled. The sound rumbled through him into Tooth, and more jolts bounced up her spine; though no longer from cold.

"You're a dork," he said, and the deep sound of his voice so close to her ear made her toes tingle with warmth.

She hoped the taxi would be late.

No such luck, unfortunately. Tooth's heart sank when the headlights of the taxi became clear, the vehicle pulling up alongside the kerb.

"Awesome," Jack said, pulling away to hop into the front passenger seat. "Come on, Tooth!"  
She slid into the back, feeling awkward, barely mumbling out her address for the taxi driver. Should she pay Jack back? She didn't know how much it would cost to get to her house. She fiddled with her purse anxiously.

The ride was quiet; Tooth noticed how Jack immediately fell silent upon entering the taxi. She glanced at the burly driver, and realised that the stranger behind the wheel might have had something to do with it. Jack seemed to have slipped into the usual discomfort he fell in around strangers.

Soon, the car pulled up beside her house. "This your stop, little lady?" the driver asked.

"Yep, this is me!" Tooth said, hopping out of the car. "Thank you! Jack, can I pay you back later?"

"Nah, you don't have to pay me back," Jack said. "It's no problem. Hey, sir, do you mind waiting for a moment? I just want to say goodbye."

"The meter will keep running," the driver warned. Jack shrugged. "No problem," he said, hopping out.

He walked with her up to her door. "Man, I've never been to your house," he said, head tilted back to observe the front of Tooth's home. "It looks really nice."

Tooth smiled, heart beginning to pound again. "Thanks," she said. "Though I haven't been to your house either."

"I guess we'll have to change that."

Jack's smile slipped a little bit, and he looked at Tooth.

"It's.. it's gonna be weird not having you come in all the time," he said quietly. "I'm gonna miss seeing you."

Tooth felt her cheeks grow warm, and snorted. "You say that as if you'll never see me again!" she exclaimed. "Don't be silly. I'll still come and visit. We'll just have to co-ordinate a bit differently. Besides, it's a good thing – it means we won't be just sitting around the hospital, right? We could go places, do stuff... you know."

"Yeah, I guess. But I liked just sitting and talking to you."

"Oh, Jack, I didn't mean.. I like talking to you too. Of course I do! I just thought..."

"It's okay, I get you," Jack chuckled, stepping closer. Tooth's entire face felt like it was on fire, and instead of being cold, she now felt very warm.

"Hey, are you still cold?" Jack asked. Gosh, his eyes were a nice colour. So blue. He swallowed, and Tooth stared mesmerised at his throat.

"A little bit," she said, but she wasn't cold at all. He pulled her into a hug again.

"When do you want to meet up again?" he asked.

"I have school tomorrow," she mumbled into his jacket. "But.. text me your address and I'll visit tomorrow afternoon. If that's okay with your parents."

"Of course it's okay. And Emma would love that."

"Oh, good. So.. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

She pulled away a little to look up at him. He smiled and placed his hands on her cheeks. "Gosh, your face is nice and warm."

"Cold hands, huh?" she said, ignoring the fluttering in her chest. She pulled his hands down to her neck, just under her jawbone. "There you go, who even needs gloves!"  
She watched his lips part slightly in a small gasp; his cheeks were tinged pink. His large hands wrapped all the way around, thumbs brushing her jawline while his pinkies rested against her collarbones. She felt a slight tremble in the cool fingers against her throat. Her heart was absolutely hammering in her chest. Why had she done that?

"Tooth, I –" Jack gasped again. "I want to tell you something."

"What?" She found she was gripping his wrists. Unwilling to let go. Oh god, what if he was creeped out?

His hands shifted, cupping her face. Very, very gently, he pulled her forward.

"I really like you," he gulped. "Um, a lot. I've liked you for a long time, and I – I mean, I like you _a lot_. As in, like, I think you're really pretty and – and I.. I kind of want to kiss you now."

Tooth felt her heart stop. Her mouth opened in an involuntary gasp. Gosh, and she'd been so afraid she was being too full-on. Her mind reeled. _Jack likes me?_  
Almost without thinking, she spoke. She couldn't think of much to say.  
"I want to kiss you too," she said.

Warm lips crashed down onto hers.

She pulled back in surprise; she hadn't quite expected it, not really. Warm air blew against her lips as Jack inhaled and drew back, mouth already forming an apology.  
She wound her fingers into his hair and pulled him back, bumping their mouths together. She felt their teeth graze, and an inexplicable fire jumped aflame in the pit of her belly.  
His lips closed over hers as they finally found balance, but the balance only lasted a few seconds as she had to pull away to gasp again, already feeling out of breath.  
The sensation of his soft lips, the lingering taste of Coke, hands on her neck, all of it – it was a sensory overload and she felt dizzied and overwhelmed. There was a slight 'pop' as they separated, Jack's mouth not ready to let go.  
He leaned in to nuzzle her cheek, fingers brushing lightly at her jaw, and she pulled him back for another kiss.

Back in the taxi, the driver glanced at the two teenagers and rolled his eyes. "Damn kids," he muttered.

* * *

**More rambling: CAN YOU SEE WHY I MIGHT HAVE HAD DIFFICULTIES HERE ;A;**

**ASDFGHJKL I'M MORBIDLY INEXPERIENCED WITH ANYTHING ROMANTIC SO THIS WAS REALLY HARD. I had to do a lot of research, haha. Luckily there's a butt-ton of teen romance stories all over the internet. The only problem is, it's tricky to sift between the more realistic ones and the just plain ridiculous. I mean. ****_"Her lips were soft as clouds and tasted like honey"_****. Um. Yeah. No thanks.**  
**It's hard to write romance realistically without all the over-the-top descriptions and metaphors, and not have it come out as boring and lacking emotion. It's even harder when you don't know what 'realistic' is from experience. I hope I found a happy medium. **

**Aaaand yeah! I guess the theme of the chapter would be Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran, haha. Hope everyone enjoyed it, and as always, critique and commentary very gladly welcomed! :3**


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